Safety first
Everyone at UiO has to change their password once a year, and many have felt the irritation of trying to construct a password that fulfills the security requirements. But, the requirements are strict for a reason. Your password is your most important secret, and if someone figures it out, they may misuse or steal your identity, erase documents and e-mails, send spam from your account, threaten the UiO network and in many cases completely shut you out from your digital life by taking over your Facebook account or other accounts.
The requirements for making your password are necessary, but now there is an alternative to that is just as safe – the password phrase.
What is a password phrase?
A password phrase is a sentence or a series of words that you can choose yourself. The password phrase at UiO has to contain at least four words that are separated by a space, like in any normal sentence. The words can be normal everday words from whatever language you would like. The words can make a sentence or be single words with no connection. Most people find it easier to remember and easier to construct than a password which contains eight random letters, numbers and special characters.
Remember, do not use sentences from famous poems, lyrics or books, and remember that the password phrases are even safer if you also use numbers and special characters.
When can I start using password phrases at UiO?
Everything is ready to go. Next time you get an e-mail that reminding you that you need to change your password, log in to Brukerinfo. Here you can choose to use the password phrase instead of a regular password.