Miscellaneous > Password Policy

Overview

PDA Professional can be customized to meet your organization's security policy. The policy can be configured from the Password Tab of System Options dialog.

Highlights

Strength: You can configure the system how strong passwords you want. Can be one of the following values:

▪Weak: Can be any number of characters and no rules are enforced. Cannot be same as username.

▪Medium: Has to be a minimum of 6 characters. Needs a combination any 2 out of these 3 sets (alphabets, numbers, and special characters). Cannot contain username.

▪Strong: Has to be a minimum of 8 characters. Needs one character from each set of alphabets, numbers, and special characters). Cannot contain username.

Here are some tips on how to create strong passwords:

•http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/privacy/password.mspx

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password_strength

Minimum Length: You can specify a minimum password length. If the value is set to 0, program will not check the password length. This will also be used when auto generating passwords. If any of the existing passwords do not meet the length required, User will be prompted to change the password.

Expiry: Password can be set to expire after n days. Whenever the password expires users will be prompted to change their passwords at the time of Log On. At the time of password change, User's cannot use the last password as their new password

Mandatory Password change: User is forced to change the password in the following events:

▪Logging on the system for the first time.

▪Password was recently reset by the system administrator.

▪Password has expired.

▪Password no longer meets organization's Password Policy.

Passwords for New Users: When a new user is added to the system, his password can be set to the username or can be generated automatically by the system. When generated automatically it confirms to the password strength policy as defined above.

Built-in internal administrators Password: Requires a mandatory strong password.

Password Strength Display: Password strength is displayed at following places. This will allow the users to actively monitor their passwords and in all likelihood upgrade there passwords to strong.

▪At the time of Log On

▪When changing passwords

▪When resetting the password