Passwords

As an NC State employee, it is critical that you protect both your account and the information you  access through it from hackers. Your password is the first line of defense, and it is essential for you to create strong passwords and manage them securely. You are required to change your Unity password at least once per year, and possibly more often, depending on your job responsibilities.

Remember:

  • Never share your password.
  • NC State IT will never ask for your password, either by email or phone.
  • If a colleague or manager needs to access your email or calendar, use mail delegation, instead of sharing your password.

 

A strong password can be hard to remember, especially when you’re doing the right thing by making sure accounts have unique passwords. Here are a few tips to keep your passwords secure:

  • We do not recommend that you write down your passwords. If you choose to do that, keep them in a secure place like a locked drawer or saved on your phone behind a lock screen. Never write down a username and password together.
  • Consider a password manager which can save your passwords and automatically generate very strong ones. NC State does not officially recommend a password manager, but popular options are KeePass and LastPass.

Sometimes we get locked out of our accounts and need help getting back in. NC State has a system for that! User Identification and Authentication, or UIA, is a set of security questions and answers that only you will know. If you have forgotten your passphrase or cannot two-factor into your accounts, UIA will help you regain access by verifying your identity with the self-service passphrase reset tool or when calling the OIT Help Desk.

  • When creating UIA questions, consider ones with answers that:
    • Cannot be easily guessed or found on the Internet.
    • Are easily remembered and don’t change frequently.
    • For added security, consider writing “custom questions.”
  • Set, view, or change your UIA questions by visiting go.ncsu.edu/uia
  • Reset your password using your UIA questions at go.ncsu.edu/password

  • Assessment:

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