It is very important to use a secure password for your MSU NetID as the NetID provides access not only to your own email, but also to university systems that contain FERPA protected data, employee data, or other sensitive information.
A strong password:
- Is at least eight characters long.
- Does not contain your user name, real name, or company name.
- Does not contain a complete word.
- Is significantly different from previous passwords.
- Contains all of the following: Uppercase Letters, Lowercase Letters, Numbers, Symbols found on the keyboard
Examples of non-secure passwords you should not use are:
- a string of numbers such as “12345”
- the word “Password” alone or in combination with numbers
- keyboard rows such as “qwerty”
- Common words associated with MSU such as “Spartans”, “Sparty”, “GoGreen,” etc.
You are encouraged not to write down your password, however if you feel you must write down your password in order to remember it, make sure you don’t label it as your password, and keep it in a safe place. You may also consider using tools such as LastPass (https://lastpass.com/), Password Gorilla (https://github.com/zdia/gorilla/wiki) or Password Safe (http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/) on your computer to keep lists of passwords secure.
For more information about Password Security please see the MSU SecureIT site.