Password Security

Sonya Palmer
Medical Library, INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK

It is important to have a secure password. The more secure the password, the less likely it is that an unauthorized person could access your account. When creating a password there are several things to consider to make it less vulnerable.

Don't

• Don't use a password that can be found in a dictionary in any language.
• Don't use personal information such as family members’ names, social security number, address, telephone number, etc.
• Don't use easily guessed number sequences, i.e., 1234 or 5555.
• Don't have a password that is the same as your login.
• Don't use strictly all numbers or all letters.

Tips for a strong password

• The longer the password the more secure it is.
• A combination of letters (upper & lower case), numbers, and symbols will make a password more secure.
• A modified phrase is an option for a more secure password. "Hamburgers are my favorite food" could be changed to: HambuRgeR$RmyfavorR1tefood!
• First letters from a phrase can also be used. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent" could become the password: 4Sa7Y@RfBf0TC?
• Change your password on a regular basis.
• There are websites that will test the strength of your password. One of the websites is Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/checker.mspx

Page last updated: 3/4/2009

NOTE: Questions or comments about the contents of this article should be addressed to the author, Sonya Palmer, at sonya.palmer@integris-health.com