Question: Which characters are required in my password?
Answer: That depends on how long it is. The shorter it is, the more restrictions there are. Here are the specific requirements:
| Number of characters | Requirements |
|---|---|
| 8-11 | mixed case letters, numbers, and symbols |
| 12-15 | mixed case letters and numbers |
| 16-19 | mixed case letters |
| 20 or more | Any characters you like! |
Stanford recommends a password 16 or more characters long.
Longer passwords are inherently more secure because it takes hackers longer to guess them when employing a brute force method. So make your password 16 characters or longer!
Because they only require upper and lower case letters, passwords that are 16 characters or longer are much easier to type on a mobile device.
You may be thinking “How on earth can I come up with a password that long?!” It’s easy! Just select 4 random words. For example: orange eagle key shoe. That’s 21 characters including the spaces.
Now go forth and create your own awesome passwords and keep your account secure!
For more information, visit the SUNetID Passwords page.
