Passwords at Bradley University
Your password must:
- Contain a minimum of eight characters
- Contain at least two letters (A-Z)
- Contain at least one number (0-9)
- Contain at least one special character (@, $, +)
- Not be a password you have used in the past
Some password guidelines
To protect your information and the University's systems, it is important that all user accounts (logins) have adequate password protection. Good password practices include creating sufficiently complex passwords and changing them on a regular basis.
Following are useful guidelines to assist your in effectively managing your account passwords.
- Passwords are case-sensitive.
- Do not use any part of your name, BUnetID or "Bradley University" as part of your password.
- Do not use your birthday, social security number, driver's license number, etc. as part of your password.
- The same character should not be repeated more than twice. One easy way to incorporate symbols is to substitute them for characters in your password (e.g. using '$' to replace the letter 'S'). Some common substitutions are:
'@' in place of 'A'
'0' in place of 'O'
'1' in place of 'L'
'+' in place of 'T' - Do not use words found in a dictionary, even if they are spelled backwards or have a number added at the end. Many password cracking programs use a dictionary as a foundation for possible combinations, then add numbers to the end of a word to try to determine the password. Note: using the symbols suggested above in a dictionary word is not secure because many password cracking programs automatically check for such substitutions. Also, do not use names of people, pets, streets, etc.
- Some possibilities for choosing a password include:
Using the first letter of each word in your favorite phrase, song title, book or list of names. For example:
"A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss" = arsgnm. Add number(s) and/or symbol(s) and add a letter substitution: ar$gn0m.
"Lydia, Tobias, Laura, Moss, Bradley"=ltlmb. Add number(s) and/or symbols plus number for letter substitutions: 1t1(mb). - It is not recommended to allow your web browser or mail client to store your password.