Password Fundamentals

Passwords are essential tools for keeping accounts and private information secure. Using strong, unique passwords is critical in your personal and professional life. They are often the only thing standing between a cybercriminal and your various accounts and devices. This article provides guidelines for best practices when creating and managing passwords both at La Salle and at home.

Password Fundamentals

Passwords are essential tools for keeping accounts and private information secure. Using strong, unique passwords is critical in your personal and professional life.  Here are some tips to help you create and manage strong passwords.

• Your password is often the only thing standing between a cybercriminal and your account;
• Be cautious about what you post on social media.  Listing your full date of birth, birthplace, hobbies, children/pet names gives criminals information that can be used to crack passwords, and answer security questions;
• Create unique passwords for each account or device - don't reuse passwords;
• Instead of keeping a written list of passwords, use a Password Manager app, such as KeePass or LastPass. These apps allow you to generate and store passwords in a secure “vault”, and all you have to do is remember the one master password to the vault;
  • KeePass is available for all La Salle faculty and staff for use on University PC's.  If KeePass Password Management software isn't already installed on your La Salle device, IT Support staff can assist you with installing it.  Submit requests through the IT Support Portal.
  • Once KeePass is installed please refer to "Getting Started With KeePass" for step-by-step instructions to set up your account.
• Don’t allow browsers or applications to "Remember Password" for you, because many do not store your log-ins in a secure manner.
• Change your passwords on a regular basis.
  • Remember that length and complexity matters!  The longer and more complex the password is, the stronger it is and the harder it will be to crack it.  Mix in upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.
  • Turn a memorable sentence into a password by modifying it to make it look random.  Here is an example:
    • tij1eoa"S&C"p2uz = this is just one example of a "Strong & Complex" password to use (16 characters)
• Be cautious with any unexpected email that prompts you to log into a website, application, or system. Attackers can often send malicious emails designed to trick people into revealing their log-in credentials.

Remember, if you spend no effort in creating a strong password, chances are hackers won’t need much effort to crack it!

If you have questions or would like more information or assistance with passwords, please submit a ticket through the IT Support Portal.