Changes to ACU password requirements

We’re keeping ACU safe by making changes to the ACU password requirements. See what changes you need to make to retain access to all ACU systems.

Did you know that 81 per cent of cyber security incidents happen due to compromised login credentials? A great way to stay as cyber secure as possible is to use strong passwords that are difficult for cyber criminals to crack.

Changed password policy for staff

ACU has recently changed its password policy for staff to now require 14 characters (from the previous 8).

All new ACU passwords will need:

• a minimum of 14 characters
• at least one of each category:
  • upper case alpha character
  • lower case alpha character
  • special character e.g. (~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/)
  • number.

This applies to all ACU systems.

Use a passphrase

Did you know that passphrases are the new, improved version of passwords? Using a passphrase is strongly encouraged at ACU, over a traditional ‘password’.

What is a passphrase?

• Passphrases are made up of nonsensical collections of words that only you would remember. For example, “Crystal Onion Clay Pretzel!3” is a good start and you can substitute letters for special characters (e=3, o=0), Crystal0nionClayPr3tz3l!
• Passphrases are usually long – the longer your passphrase, the better
• They do not include famous phrases, quotations or lyrics
• They do not include names of people, characters, products or organisations.

You can read more about passphrases in this bulletin article.