Protecting the security of Middlebury College's information and network is a priority for Library and Information Services, and for all of us who have access to the information and network. LIS has put in place many measures to secure our network, but one of the most important is that of secure passwords for all users of the network.
On June 2nd, 2008, all network passwords (including email) that have not been changed in six months will expire, and the setting of a new, more secure password will be required. Thereafter, network passwords will expire every six months.
New passwords will need to meet more stringent rules that make them less likely to be easily guessed. Passwords:
- Must be at least 8 alphanumeric characters long
- Must contain both upper and lower case characters and digits (e.g., a-z, A-Z, 0-9)
- Must contain at least one special character: ~ ^ * _ ? \ . / ! + - { } [ ]
- Must not contain: @ $ & " : ( ) , < > ` ; = | # % (and blank spaces)
The expired password cannot be used as the new password.
Accounts will be locked out for 15 minutes after 10 unsuccessful attempts to log onto the network to foil automated password cracking software
We realize that this new policy may be viewed as an inconvenience, but insecure passwords are a significant risk to the information contained in our network, and this is a necessary step to protect you and everyone who uses the Middlebury network.
We strongly recommend that you find a convenient time between now and June 2nd to change your network password here: http://go.middlebury.edu/activate rather than wait for a forced change at what might be an inconvenient time. In particular, if you use a Windows laptop, you should change your password while you are on campus if at all possible, and connected to the network with a wired connection to avoid issues with multiple passwords for your computer and the Middlebury network.
Please call the Helpdesk at ext. 2200 with any questions or problems with changing your password. Immediate attention will be more likely available if you do not wait until the June 2nd deadline. In addition, we strongly recommend that you do not use the same passwords for non-Middlebury accounts.
Thank you for your support in protecting our collective information.