Passwords grant access to IT resources such as a bank account, computer, email, or a server on a network and are designed to limit access to only those individuals who are authorized. In this way they help protect your privacy and identity.
Kerberos passwords
The MIT Kerberos password, along with your MIT user name, authenticates you before giving you access to MIT web services such as the online email and calendar (Outlook Web App) and the secure wireless network, MIT SECURE and MIT SECURE N.
Updating your password
Kerberos passwords do not expire at MIT, however, it is still a good practice to change your Kerberos password on a regular basis, we suggest at least once a year.
If passwords are guessed or stolen, someone logging in under your identity could possibly cause problems with your credit, reputation, or with MIT's resources. More on changing passwords.
Keeping your password safe
Password confidentiality can be achieved by:
- Changing your password at regular intervals
- Having a strong password
- Never telling anyone your password or hinting at it, not even to friends, colleagues, system administrators, and account managers
- Picking passwords you can remember and don't need to write down
- Locking your screen or logging out when stepping away from a computer, especially in a public area
- Using a temporary password when using a public computer to access confidential information
- Ignoring requests by websites or browsers to "remember" your password
If you have a hard time remembering your passwords, there are several tools available (some of them are free) that store passwords. Keep in mind that anyone who could gain unauthorized access to your computer will then have all your passwords at their disposal, so make sure the password vault is encrypted with a strong password.