Your USER ID/PASSWORD is used to verify your identity, therefore acting as a unique key to system security. You may have multiple USER ID/PASSWORD combinations to use and manage for network and system access. The following guidelines should be followed when utilizing any USER ID/PASSWORD:

• Make certain that no one can impersonate you (i.e., provide photo ID when necessary, do not share user IDs, birth dates, Social Security Numbers, etc.).
• Do not disclose your password to anyone, or allow anyone to observe your password as you enter it during the sign-on process.
• When selecting a password, avoid passwords with any personal associations, and avoid passwords that are simple and short.
• If you believe that your password has been compromised, please change the password immediately and contact the Helpdesk for assistance in determining if any information may have been inappropriately accessed or utilized.

NetID Network Passwords Access to the network and most services requires a NetID. Your password must follow these guidelines:

• Password Requirements
  • The password must be a minimum of 8 - 15 alphanumeric characters.
  • It must have at least one number and one alphabet.
  • It cannot be the same as your two previous passwords.

• Note that numbers should not be the first or last character in your password.
  • Contain no more than two consecutive repeating characters, for example: (mm, 44, etc.)
  • Avoid accurate word spellings (dictionary words)
  • Good examples of strong passwords: fDhOlmqR, hAppi6ay, h31L062u, t1tanIk

NetID passwords do not currently expire. NetID passwords may be reset by the owner at https://netid.oakland.edu/. After you have logged on, the network will attribute all activity to your NetID. Therefore, never leave your workstation without either locking your machine or logging off the network — even for a few minutes. To ensure the security of your NetID account, your password should be changed every 90 days.

Windows Domain Passwords
Access to certain systems, classroom technology, and storage shares requires logging in to the ADMNET Windows domain. To ensure the security of passwords all accounts are required to change passwords every 180 days. ADMNET passwords must not be the same as a current or previous password. If your password is not changed within 180 days time, the account will force a password reset at the next logon. The account may appear locked as access is denied to shares and other resources until the password has been reset from a domain computer. Domain passwords should follow the same logic as NetID passwords described above.

Workstation Passwords
In addition, you should make use of the Windows, Mac, or Linux standard screen savers by requiring a password to regain access to your workstation.