Information Technology

City of Hickory, NC
Information Technology - Strong Passwords

We implemented a City-wide change to utilize strong passwords on the network and our iSeries Server (commonly called an AS/400!).

Requirements:

Windows Passwords MUST contain three (3) of the four (4) categories listed below

Categories                    Examples

1. Upper Case Letters              A – Z
2. Lower Case Letters              a – z
3. Numerals                              0 – 9
4. Special Characters               !, #, $, &, ‘, etc.

• Passwords MUST be a minimum of 7 characters

Recommendations:

• Passwords should not contain any part of your name or user id.
• Do not use common words found in a dictionary.
• Do not use easily identifiable personal information (birth date, pet, etc.).
• It will be easier to remember if it is something meaningful to you.
• Use “pass phrase – based” passwords.

Here are a few examples of strong passwords that are still meaningful:

• J()hn3:16       This is the bible verse, John 3:16
• Ida57ba          I drive a ’57 Bel Air (using the 1st letter of each word)
• T1m5pc!        Tim’s PC! (replace “i” with “1” and “s” with “5”, add the “!”)
• Il0v3R&R        I love Rock & Roll (replace “o” with “0” and “e” with “3”)
• 10sne1?        Tennis anyone?