Changing Default Passwords

Default passwords should be changed as soon as possible. This is because they are not a truly unique secret to the user. Hackers can guess, or use a computer program to guess, a password if it follows a predictable pattern -- like your University ID. When it comes to password age or expiration, we only require people to change their passwords if they, or ITS, have reason to believe it is known by someone else. If you’ve been given a default password it is, by definition, known to someone else.

Here are a few tips:

• We encourage the use of long passphrases. Length, not complexity, is the new entropy. Long passphrases are easier to remember AND easier to type (we forget that need too often).
• Ensure every account has a unique password. That way, if an account is compromised, all of the other accounts are safe.

To easily change your password(s) you should start with https://www.hartford.edu/reset. From there, you can select which password you would like to change.

We encourage everyone to please set up your security questions and recovery password now so, if you need to use them later, they are available to you to reset your password on your own.