Passwords

The University requires all computer system passwords to be a minimum of 8 characters in length, expire no more than every 90 days, not contain significant portions of your account name or full name, not be a password you’ve previously used within the last year, and meet at least 3 of the following additional requirements:

1. Uppercase characters
2. Lowercase characters
3. Numbers
4. Special characters (non-alphanumeric) - excepting the % sign or a ‘blankspace‘

A password containing at least 3 out of 4 of these criteria is considered valid.

To reset your password, please go to my.boisestate.edu and click the Create/Reset Your Password link at upper-left.

You cannot reset a Google Apps generic account (e.g., an account not named for an employee) via my.BoiseState. Requests to reset this password must be made through the Help Desk.

If your password is intruder-locked (e.g., ten failed attempts have locked the account), you can wait 30 minutes for the account to automatically unlock and try again.

The days of setting a password to match the name of spouse, a child’s birthdate, or your telephone number are over; automated software used by hackers has made it too easy to guess these types of passwords. You may need to start thinking “outside the box” and develop a new mindset when choosing passwords. Techniques we recommend:

• Replace letters with special characters: $ makes a great substitue for ‘s.’ @ can replace ‘a.’ A zero can take the place of an ‘o.’ Think of a 3 as a backwards ‘e.’Note that replacing letters with special characters doesn’t automatically create a strong password; you must combine this technique with numeric characters and other special characters to create a strong password.
• Use passphrases instead of passwords: Instead of thinking of a single word for your password, use a phrase. Let’s say your favorite email tool is Google Apps. For “Google,” replace the ‘o’ characters with zeroes. For “Apps” replace the vowel ‘A’ with the @ symbol.You end up with the following passphrase that’s not only memorable but meets all the rules: G00gle@pps
• Consider abbreviating words to create even stronger passphrases.
• If your password is intruder-locked (e.g., ten failed attempts have locked the account), you can wait 30 minutes for the account to automatically unlock and try again.