Lewis County Password Policies & Best Practices
Ahh passwords, everyone’s best friend, right? Well, maybe not for everyone, but let’s face it: while passwords can be frustrating and tedious to manage at times, they are a necessary part of life in today’s increasingly digital world.
One of the best ways to protect information or physical property is to ensure that only authorized people have access to it. Verifying that those requesting access are the people they claim to be is the next step. This authentication process is more important and more difficult in the cyber world. Passwords are the most common means of authentication, but only work if they are complex and confidential. Many systems and services have been successfully breached because of non-secure and inadequate passwords. Once a system is compromised, it is open to exploitation by other unwanted sources.
—CISA Security Tip (ST04-002)
Although we enforce certain county-wide requirements for passwords, it is also important to keep some general principles in mind when choosing your password.
County Requirements
When you set your password, you will be required to use a combination of EACH of the following characteristics:
- At least 12 Characters total.
- Both uppercase and lowercase letters.
- Either a number or a symbol (!, @, #, etc.)
Other Characteristics of Strong Passwords
Passwords are often the only barrier between you and your personal information. There are several programs attackers can use to help guess or "crack" passwords. However, choosing strong passwords and keeping them confidential can make it more difficult for others to access your information.
—CISA, “Creating and Managing Strong Passwords”
NCCIC/US-CERT recommends users take the following actions:
- Use multi-factor authentication when available.
(IT department is currently working to implement this!) - Use different passwords on different systems and accounts.
- DO NOT use passwords that are based on personal information that can be easily accessed or guessed.
- Use the longest password or passphrase permissible by each password system.
- DO NOT use words that can be found in any dictionary of any language.
- Refer to Tips on Choosing and Protecting Passwords and Supplementing Passwords for best practices and additional information.
Sources & References
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security
Creating and Managing Strong Passwords
CISA Security Tip (ST04-002): Choosing and Protecting Passwords
CISA Security TIP (ST05-012): Supplementing Passwords
