Each user is responsible for helping keep their account secure. CDD strongly recommends that you:
- choose strong passwords
- do not reuse passwords used for other web sites
- use a password manager to make both of the above points easy
- do not share your passwords with others.
Current CDD minimum password requirements are:
- at least 8 characters,
- contain at least two of the following:
mixed case (upper- and lowercase letters), numbers and special characters,
Special characters include (intentionally in no particular order):
^ # % - & } ) > ; " : ? ] { ~ | * ` # ! = _ ' ( . [ / $ + @ , < as well as <SPACE>
These requirements should be considered a basic minimum, and we encourage you to use longer and more complex passwords.
To secure your account further, it is possible to enroll in second factor authentication. Contact support to discuss this possibility.
Here are some good practice security guidelines when choosing a password:
- include digits- include special characters, such as @, %, $, etc.- use capital and lower-case letters- do not repeat the same word: "treetree"- avoid using personal information (pet name, ancestor's names or dates)- avoid reusing a password used elsewhere (different website)
Some more advanced tips:
- use as long a phrase as you can possibly imagine (multiple words, a whole sentence)- there are free as well as commercial password generators to support you in that- obfuscation (replacing letter by numbers or special characters, e.g. H3ll0 instead of Hello) does not make password more difficult to hack, but potentially more difficult for you to remember
For further reading, try these articles: