Password Primer

Passwords are the primary defense against unauthorized access to networks. One of the key issues is the choice of passwords. Here are some of the rules that should be followed when choosing appropriate passwords.

• Passwords should not reflect the company name
• Passwords should not reflect the business of the Company
• Passwords should not reflect the equipment where they are used
• Passwords should not be decipherable based on any configuration parameter like the model number or network address of the equipment.
• Passwords should not be any word that appears in a standard dictionary.
• Passwords should be unique
• Passwords should not be sequential
• Passwords should include both uppercase and lowercase characters and non alphanumeric characters if possible.
• Passwords should be as long as reasonably possible.
• Any list containing passwords should be closely guarded.

Critical passwords should be changed whenever a person with that level of access leaves the company- especially if a person is terminated involuntarily. Non technical managers should not have system passwords

Passwords should not be distributed over the internet.