No longer having to change your password
Has this ever happened to you? You have to change your password and you repeatedly receive a reminder. You are too busy, so you postpone it until tomorrow. Eventually, you can no longer postpone it. And coming up with a new password every time is difficult too... If this sounds familiar, good news! On Friday, 16 April, we will implement a change, so you will no longer be required to change your Inholland password.
What will change?
In the period after 16 April, you will only be forced to change your password once. This moment will not be the same for everyone and will be somewhere within 80 days of 16 April. After these 80 days, the obligation to change your password every 80 days will expire.
Some people may have to change their password twice (if you have to make a change before 16 April), but that is it.
How will this affect security?
We can imagine that the notification that you will no longer have to change your password raises some questions. However, this change will actually help to make our network more secure. Your new password must be at least 10 characters. This makes it harder to guess and more complicated.
In addition, Microsoft will perform a check to ensure the security of your password. Is your password already known (leaked) on the Internet? In that case, you cannot choose it. If your password leaks out later on, you will receive a message from us and from Microsoft advising you to change your password.
Tips for a strong and long-lasting password:
- Even though this will no longer be mandatory, we still recommend that you change your password regularly.
- The password must be at least 10 characters (but preferably longer).
- Having trouble coming up with a new password? Instead of a password, choose a 'passphrase' that is close to you, such as 'Iliketo eatyoghurtinthemorning' or 'myfavouriteseriesiscasadepapel'. You can also vary the capital letters, numbers and punctuation. By doing so, you can make your password complicated with enough characters while still making it easy to remember.
- Choose a unique password. Do not use passwords or phrases that you have already used many times elsewhere.
- Do not use your staff name, student ID number or part of your name in your password. Doing so will not be allowed.