Secure passwords are needed for all university password services: LAN, Kerberos, PIN.  This quicknote will assist in creating a secure password.

Some suggestions in this quicknote were borrowed from SIS and the Ann Arbor Kerberos password help website.
General GuidelinesAnn Arbor has recently changed their criteria for creating a secure password for your kerberos/LAN account.  As of November 9, 2009, the following are the general restrictions:

• Use 9 or more characters
• Do NOT use plain dictionary words
• Include at least 3 of the following:
• Lowercase letters
• Uppercase letters
• Numerals
• Punctuation (? . !)

The university has very strict password restriction policies.  These policies are in place to keep your information as secure as possible.  The following passwords or password segments are restricted when setting your LAN/Kerberos Password.

The most up to date list for restricted password combinations can be found at: http://www.umflint.edu/its/units/initiatives/publicity/passwords/dictionary_list.htm 

It is also advisable to avoid any password with personal information:

• Birthdate, name, home town, or mother's maiden name
• Childhood nickname, pet's name, or favorite cartoon character
• Driver's License, phone, address, license plate, social security number, or PIN numbers
  

Password Creation MethodsIt is always suggested that the longer and more cryptic the password is better, however at times these passwords are hard to remember.  A solution to this problem is to scramble the lettering of passwords with a combination of letters/symbols/numbers.

Common Letter/Symbol/Number Variations
Some variations have overlapping symbols/numbers/letters.  It is entirely up to you as to which variation you wish to use for your passwords, but keep in mind that these are suggestions.  Feel free to use your own variations for your passwords