Always protect your Puget Sound username and password so no one else can use it to access your information or jeopardize the university’s resources.
Remember, Technology Services will NEVER ask you to provide your password by email!
Password Requirements
Puget Sound passwords must:
- Be 12 to 256 characters in length
- Contain an uppercase letter (A-Z), a lowercase letter (a-z), and a symbol (e.g. +#!%:^)
- Not contain any part of your name or username
- Be different than your past ten Puget Sound passwords
Password Expiration
Passwords are valid for 8 months. You will be notified 14 days before your password expires.
Security Guidelines
Password Creation
Selecting a strong password is an important aspect in securing your account and protecting University of Puget Sound information. Generally, longer passwords are stronger; therefore, Technology Services encourages the use of passphrases containing multiple, random words or a sentence-like series of words.
The password you select for your Puget Sound account should be unique and not utilized elsewhere. A strong password should be easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess or crack.
Avoid selecting a weak password that has any of the following characteristics:
- The password is used for other accounts and services such as personal email, online banking, subscription services, social media, etc.
- The password contains personal information such as birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, or names of family members, pets, and friends.
- The password is a single word found in a dictionary (English or foreign). This includes any derivation where the word is spelled backward, preceded by, or followed by a single number or symbol (e.g. Password!, 1drowssaP).
- The password consists primarily of words connected with Puget Sound culture (e.g. Loggers, Grizz, Puget Sound, To The Heights), locale (e.g. Tacoma), academic schedule (e.g. Spring2021), or building names (e.g. Wheelock).
- The password contains repeated number patterns (e.g. aaabbb, qwerty, zyxwvuts, 123321).
- The password is on a list of commonly-used passwords or on a list of passwords obtained from data breaches.
Password Protection
Guidance for Password Security
- Never share your password with anyone.
- Never enter your password on websites you do not recognize, submit a password via online forms or questionnaires, or insert your password into email messages.
- Avoid writing down your password and/or leaving it in an easily accessible location physically or electronically.
- Do not use the “Remember Password” feature of applications such as web browsers. A secure password manager may be utilized if you must store login information.
- If you suspect your password may have been compromised, immediately change your password and contact the Service Desk for assistance in remediating the incident.
Guidance for Shared Accounts or Service Accounts
- When an employee or student employee leaves the university or changes positions, change any shared passwords as soon as possible.
- Always change any default password associated with accounts or hardware devices.
- Consider using a secure password manager to store shared login information.