“Goodbye” passwords… “Hello” Passphrases!
KAUST IT is excited to announce upcoming changes to the password standards. In the near future, KAUST systems will be accessed using passphrases avoiding the traditional special character complexity of passwords. The new password/passphrase model, approved and published on KAUST Policy website, is designed to increase the security of your account while improving convenience. You can read the officially published standard here for details.
What’s changing?
- Special characters will no longer be a mandatory requirement — Which means you’ll be able to remember your passwords effortlessly.
- The minimum length will be increased from 8 characters to 12 — The longer the password, the harder/longer it will take to crack.
- Spaces will now be permitted — So you can use a quote or a song lyric of your choice as your password.
- Password expiry will be extended from 6 months to 1 year* — You won’t be required to reset your password every six months meaning you can keep the same password all year long.
What do I need to do?
- No immediate action is required. Do not attempt to change your password as per the new standard as the systems are not yet ready.
- We expect you to familiarize yourself with the new published password standard ahead of time.
- We will send additional information about the progress of this implementation in January 2019.
When is this happening?
- KAUST IT is currently working on configuring this change on systems across KAUST.
- Targeting a March 2019 date for this exciting change to be available to you.
We are confident that this change will enable passwords that are easy to remember for you and difficult for anyone else to guess, thereby increasing overall passphrase security and usability.*If your Human Firewall risk score is high, your password expiry date may be shortened. So, be a Human Firewall!
For any questions or concerns, please email askinfosec@kaust.edu.sa.
Thank you,
KAUST Information Technology