Create a Secure and Memorable Passphrase

Challenge

How can you make a memorable UMN password that is still secure?

Solutions

Did you know it would take 16 billion times longer to crack a 16-character password compared to an 8-character password? 

16+ character passwords can actually be easier to remember. Instead of using a single word with lots of character types (uppercase, lowercase, special characters, and numerals), you can use more words with fewer character types. Think of your password as a passphrase.

For example, a secure 8-letter password includes 3 or more character types (uppercase, lowercase, special characters, and/or numerals) might look something like this: 

Pra_wqe2

An even more secure passphrase includes just 2 of the character types (use uppercase and lowercase) and looks something like this: 

"Pony Hockey Spaghetti" or "I love cheese sauce" (You can include spaces if you like!)

How to Create a Secure Passphrase

The University's password policy requires 16+ character passphrases using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters. 

To reset your password, visit the password reset page on my-account.umn.edu.

Choose 3 random words, a short phrase, or even a song lyric—just make sure there are 16 or more characters—and use at least one of each: uppercase and lowercase letters. You can also use special characters and numbers, but the University will only require you to use uppercase and lowercase letters.