Password Policy

1. Overview

Passwords are a critical component of information security. Passwords serve to protect user accounts; however, a poorly constructed password may result in the compromise of individual systems, data, or the company's network. This guideline provides best practices for creating secure passwords. All users, including contractors and vendors with access to TeeTors.org systems, are responsible for taking the appropriate steps, as outlined below, to select and secure their passwords.

2. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish standards and best practices for creating strong passwords, the protection of those passwords, and the frequency of change.

3. Scope

This guideline applies to employees, contractors, consultants, temporary and other workers at TeeTors.org, including all personnel affiliated with third parties. This guideline applies to all passwords including but not limited to user-level accounts, system-level accounts, web accounts, e-mail accounts, screen saver protection, voicemail, and local router logins.

4. Policy

All passwords should meet or exceed the following guidelines:

4.1. Password Creation

  • 4.1.1. All user-level and system-level passwords must conform to 4.2 Password Construction Guidelines.
  • 4.1.2. Users must not use the same password for TeeTors.org accounts as for other non-TeeTors.org access (for example, personal ISP account, option trading, benefits, and so on).
  • 4.1.3. Where possible, users must not use the same password for various TeeTors.org access needs.
  • 4.1.4. User accounts that have system-level privileges, granted through group memberships or programs, must have a unique password from all other accounts held by that user to access system-level privileges.
  • 4.1.5. Where Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is used, the community strings must be defined as something other than the standard defaults of public, private, and system and must be different from the passwords used to log in interactively. SNMP community strings must meet password construction guidelines.

4.2. Password Construction Guidelines

Strong passwords have the following characteristics:

  • 4.2.1. Contain at least eight alphanumeric characters.
  • 4.2.2. Contain both upper- and lower-case letters.
  • 4.2.3. Contain at least one number (for example, 0-9).
  • 4.2.4. Contain at least one special character (for example, $%^&*()_+|~-=\`[]:";'<>?,/).

4.3. Improper Password Construction

Poor, or weak, passwords have the following characteristics:

  • 4.3.1. Contain less than eight characters.
  • 4.3.2. Can be found in a dictionary, including foreign language, or exist in a language slang, dialect, or jargon.
  • 4.3.3. Contain personal information such as birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, or names of family members, pets, friends, and fantasy characters.
  • 4.3.4. Contain work-related information such as building names, system commands, sites, companies, hardware, or software.
  • 4.3.5. Contain number patterns such as aaabbb, qwerty, zyxwvuts, or 123321.
  • 4.3.6. Contain common words spelled backward or preceded or followed by a number (for example, terces, secret1 or 1secret).
  • 4.3.7. Are some version of "Welcome123" "Password123" "Changeme123"

4.4. Password Protection

  • 4.4.1. Passwords must not be shared with anyone. All passwords are to be treated as sensitive, Confidential Personally Identifiable information appropriately protected by applicable law and regulations. Corporate Information Security recognizes that legacy applications do not support proxy systems in place. Please refer to the technical reference for additional details.
  • 4.4.2. Passwords must not be inserted into email messages, Alliance cases or other forms of electronic communication.
  • 4.4.3. Passwords must not be revealed over the phone to anyone.
  • 4.4.4. Do not reveal a password on questionnaires or security forms.
  • 4.4.5. Do not hint at the format of a password (for example, "my family name").
  • 4.4.6. Do not share TeeTors.org passwords with anyone, including administrative assistants, secretaries, managers, co-workers while on vacation, and family members.
  • 4.4.7. Do not write passwords down and store them anywhere in your office. Do not store passwords in a file on a computer system or mobile devices (phone, tablet) without encryption.
  • 4.4.8. Do not use the "Remember Password" feature of applications (for example, web browsers).
  • 4.4.9. Any user suspecting that his/her password may have been compromised must report the incident and change all passwords.

Use of Password and Passphrases

  • 4.4.10. Passphrases are generally used for public/private key authentication. A public/private key system defines a mathematical relationship between the public key that is known by all, and the private key, that is known only to the user. Without the passphrase to "unlock" the private key, the user cannot gain access.
  • 4.4.11. Passphrases are not the same as passwords. A passphrase is a longer version of a password and is, therefore, more secure. A passphrase is typically composed of multiple words. Because of this, a passphrase is more secure against "dictionary attacks."
  • 4.4.12. A good passphrase is relatively long and contains a combination of upper and lowercase letters and numeric and punctuation characters. An example of a good passphrase is based on a song title, affirmation, or other phrase. For example, the phrase, "This May Be One Way To Remember" could become the password TmB1w2R! or another variation. (NOTE: Do not use either of these examples as passwords!)
  • 4.4.13. All the rules above that apply to passwords apply to passphrases.

5. Policy Compliance

5.1. Compliance Measurement

The management team will verify compliance to this policy through various methods, including but not limited to, periodic walk-through, video monitoring, business tool reports, internal and external audits, and feedback to the policy owner.

5.2. Exceptions

Any exception to the policy must be approved by the management team in writing and in advance.

5.3. Non-Compliance

An employee found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.