Changing Your Password

Your password serves as a security check to protect your account from unauthorized users. Anyone who knows your password can login to your account. It is a good idea to change your password on a regular basis.

Use the passwd command to change your password. The system will prompt you for your old password as well as your new one. Your old password is the one you signed on with and your new password is one of your choice. Passwords must observe the following restrictions:

  1. Must be at least 12 characters.
  2. Must contain at least one uppercase letter.
  3. Must contain at least one lowercase letter.
  4. Must contain at least one digit, e.g. 0-9.
  5. Must contain at least one special character, e.g. $%^&.
  6. Cannot contain common words from various languages, popular names, and frequently used passwords, or their variations, e.g. p@ssw0rd.

When you respond to the system’s prompts for your old and new passwords, what you type will not be displayed on the screen.

Example where the new password is insufficiently complex:

$ passwd
Enter login(LDAP) password:
New password:
BAD PASSWORD: The password differs with case changes only
New password:
BAD PASSWORD: The password contains less than 1 non-alphanumeric characters
New password:
BAD PASSWORD: The password is shorter than 12 characters
passwd: Have exhausted maximum number of retries for service
passwd: password unchanged
$

Once you set a new password, you must type this password whenever you login.

If you forget your password, contact the system staff.