From the ACC IT Newsletter

As we all set New Year’s resolutions, a great one to keep is updating and changing your passwords.  

We know it can be aggravating but if someone manages to guess your password, it can cause a much larger headache. This is such a simple change, one that everyone should be doing regularly, so please take a few moments to read these tips and start 2022 as cyber safe.

  • Try to use a complex password: Please don’t use ‘12345’ or ‘Password1’ — too simple. Try using a small random sentence as your password, versus a single word and number, such as ‘sallyrodehermustanginthewind’. 
  • Don’t re-use passwords for more than one site or service: Password re-use can expose many of your accounts; a criminal only has to ‘hack’ one service provider to gain access to a bunch of other services you have used your password on. 
  • Don’t save passwords in a text, Word, or Excel file on your computer: You don’t leave your keys in the front door overnight, so don’t leave passwords lying around either. 

Read over ACC’s Information Security Password Policy and Password Construction Standards.