Information security updates password policy

All UW–Madison faculty, staff and students are expected to use strong passwords that are in compliance with a new campus password policy.

Users with NetIDs should have recently received e-mails from the Office of Campus Information Security (OCIS) asking them to change their NetID passwords. The policy requires a minimum password length of eight characters, and a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, digits and special characters. It applies to all UW–Madison passwords, not just the NetID password.

On Oct. 1, OCIS began auditing NetID passwords for conformity with the new standards. Individuals whose passwords do not meet the standards will receive e-mails, digitally signed by OCIS, asking them to change passwords. Digital signatures assure that the signed e-mail you receive is not a hoax or attempted impersonation. You can be sure that an incoming mass e-mail message with an official UW–Madison digital signature is authentic and has not been altered in any way from its original form.

Passwords that do not meet the standards by March will be changed, and users will not be able to use their NetIDs and the resources they protect until they have been reset. To reset a NetID password, visit https://www.mynetid.wisc.edu/modify. To learn more about password management, visit http://www.doit.wisc.edu/security/passwords/.