Passwords

You have different passwords for different systems at GCU.

You will receive email notifications letting you know when your GCU domain password is about to expire. You will receive these emails 14 days before your domain password expires, giving you plenty of time to go online and reset it.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact the IT Helpdesk on Ext 1234 or 0141 273 1234.

Account security

The security and privacy of your account is your responsibility. We have provided some information to help you keep your information safe.

It's vital that your passwords are secure, and known only by you. Here are some do's & don'ts that may help you create a secure password.

Dos

User both upper and lower case characters, digits, punctuation, and !@#$%^&* characters. The more complex and random the password is, the harder it is to crack.
Some of the best passwords are acronyms that are special to you. For example, if you have a daughter named Mary who is 11 years old, a sentence you might easily remember might be: My daughter Mary is 4 + 7 !, which would create the acronym password MdMi4+7! These create passwords that are essentially random but easy for you to remember.
Be wary of people hanging over your shoulder when you type your password. If you suspect someone of trying to get your password by watching you type it in, report them IT Helpdesk immediately.

Don'ts

Do not use a word in the English dictionary or a minor variation on that word. Good password cracking programs check the whole dictionary.
Never tell your password to anyone. If you ever get an email from someone, even if they say they are the system administrator, asking for your password for any reason, report it to IT Helpdesk.
Never write your password down.
Never send your password through email.
Don't use simple patterns of adjacent letters on the keyboard. On the surface, qwerty or asdfgh may seem random, but crackers check many of these patterns as standard practice.

Bad password ideas
A spouse's name, a child's birth date, birth day your middle name (which you think no one knows about), your birth date (which you haven't told anyone about, so it "must" be safe), your Social Security Number, or similar forms of personal information. This includes mixing these pieces of information, such as using your birth year, your spouse's birth month and your birthday. These can be broken in several minutes of guessing, or after a few seemingly innocent conversations with your friends or family members.