Pass-Phrase vs Password A small change can make a big difference.
July 11, 2016
Hello Fellow Panthers,
I hope everyone is having a fun and relaxing summer break thus far. As we begin to approach the Fall 2016 semester, I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of the importance of resetting your password. Over the summer we have had several attempts by cyber scammers to access several campus accounts. Fortunately, we have an amazing information security and network operations team that is continuously and diligently working to stop attackers before they do any damage, but there are things you can do to stop them as well.
One of the best methods for stopping cyber attackers is to have a secure password. Now I know what you are thinking and that is “I really like my current password” or “I’ve had this password forever and I don’t want to learn a new one”. While I do empathize with you, it is also that same reasoning that makes it so easy for attackers to access your accounts.
A great example of the importance of having a good password is the incident back in 2012 where the social media site LinkedIn was breached by cyber attackers. This attack impacted over 6.5 million user accounts. A study released shortly after the incident, by LinkedIn, revealed a very startling truth about how easy it was for the attackers to break into user accounts. The big issue found during the study was that a high number of users were using the same passwords or same password structures. Below is a list of the top 20 passwords that were being used when the accounts were compromised:
(Dataset publicly released by Linkedin)
Rank | Password | Frequency
1 123456 753,305
2 linkedin 172,523
3 password 144,458
4 123456789 94,314
5 12345678 63,769
6 111111 57,210
7 1234567 49,652
8 sunshine 39,118
9 qwerty 37,538
10 654321 33,854
11 000000 32,490
12 password1 30,981
13 abc123 30,398
14 charlie 28,049
15 linked 25,334
16 maggie 23,892
17 michael 23,075
18 666666 22,888
19 princess 22,122
20 123123 21,826
So how do we move forward?
Instead of creating a new password, consider the idea of a new pass-phrase. Not a single word, but a combination of two or more words mixed together. Doing this and incorporating numbers and special characters will make it exponentially more difficult for attackers to compromise your accounts. Below are a couple examples of some easy to remember passphrases:
Phrase Pass-phrase
“Hello There” Hell0Th3re!
“Panther Pride” P@nth3rPride!
Note these examples are very common phrases and can easily be encrypted to become a strong password used to protect your account.
Where can you reset your password?
Online: Password.chapman.edu
Service Desk:
- Phone – (714) 997-6600
- Walkup – Leatherby Library; first floor
As we get closer to Fall 2016 semester we in IS&T highly encourage you to consider and adopt this new strategy. Don’t allow yourself to become a victim of a cyber-attack, and allow someone else access into your personal information.
If you have any questions, concerns, or would like assistance with resetting your password, please contact the Service Desk and a Technician will be happy to assist you.
Also, please remember to follow IS&T on Facebook for continued updates and information on important IS&T news and events.