System Security and Account Maintenance

Command to change password

The command to change your password is: passwd or yppasswd

Tips on selecting passwords

A UNIX system password should be at least 6 characters long and include at least one upper case letter (A-Z) and digit (0-9).

Characteristics of a BAD password:

• Are less than 6 characters long
• Found in a dictionary - in any language
• Your phone number, or Social Security number
• Have more than 3 repeated characters in a row
• Matches anything in your UNIX account information, such as your login id or an item from your ``finger'' data entry

User Responsibilities for Security and Disk Management

• Use Above Guidelines When Choosing Passwords
• Change Passwords Regularly
• Do Not Share Your Password with Anyone
• Disable Accounts When Not Needed
• Archive Rarely Used Files
• Remove Files Before Leaving MTU
• Notify the CEC to Deactivate Account Before Leaving MTU
• Notify the CEC if you are leaving the area and planning to access your account remotly via the internet.

Vi Introduction