About: CNC Password Policy

Title: About: CNC Password Policy

Audience: CNC Account Users

Applies to: All CNC Account Holders

Category: Accounts and Access

Prerequisites:

Problem:

Description / Summary:

The password policy for CNC accounts is:

1. A password cannot be reused. Each time a password is set, it must be unique to the prior passwords used for the account
2. Passwords must be at least 12 characters long. The longer the password is, regardless of the characters it contains, the more time it would take for hackers to crack the account. Password length is one of the greatest factors in password hacking.
3. Passwords cannot contain your CNC username. Passwords cannot contain your first or last name. There must be no immediate connection between the account name, based on your first and last names, with your password.
4. Passwords can contain lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and special characters. The combination of these characters is up to the user. Although it is recommended to use at least one charater of each type, the characters used are not enforced. Instead, the length of the password in addition to MFA and lockouts provide robust password protection.

In addition to the above policies enforced onto your password by CNC, the college also uses Multi-Factor Authentication and account lockouts for multiple wrong password attempts to enhance the above rules on your password.