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How to Create a Strong NetID Password

You're Smart - Your Password Should Be Too

Cornell's password complexity rules may seem challenging at first. When you see examples like this -- H*P@p7mZ%-- you might wonder how anyone ever remembers their Cornell password.

The secret is finding the password recipe that works best for you. (Wondering why your Cornell password has to be so complex?)

Review the rules

At least 8 characters, including at least three of these four character types:

  • Uppercase letters
  • Lowercase letters
  • Numbers
  • Symbols found on your keyboard, such as blank spaces, or ! * - () : | / ?

Exclude, ban, disallow:

  • Your NetID
  • Your first or last name
  • Dictionary words with 5 or more letters, including names such as "Cornell"
  • Repeated characters (AAA or 555)
  • Common sequences (abc, CBA, 123, 321, qwerty, pas)

To test possible passwords, go to the "Check Your Password" page.

Recipe for Your Cornell Password

Step one: Choose your main ingredient plus a number.

Examples of main ingredients Examples of numbers
  • A line from a favorite song, poem, or book
  • The punch line of a joke
  • A sports chant
  • A personal memory that is unlikely to be public knowledge. "Firsts" can be a good choice, such as your 1st date, your 1st job, your 1st teacher, your 1st roommate, or your 1st car.
  • A series from your life, such as the streets you've lived on; pets from your childhood; the names of your cousins; companies you've worked for; places you've visited or places where your family or friends live.
  • Year, or month and year (but not your birthday)
  • Quantity
  • Price
  • Age
  • Part of an old phone number
  • A personal best from a sport (score, distance, time)


Step two: Combine your main ingredient and your number to create your Cornell password.

 

Method 1: Chop (Passphrases)

Create a phrase or sentence. Add a comma, colon, semi-colon, period, or exclamation point if your phrase didn’t come with punctuation. Then abbreviate most of the words. (Your passphrase can have words shorter than 5 letters, as long as those words are less than 40% of the total.) For example:

  • Parts of people's names + number + symbol:
    'Barbara and John' with the meaningful year 2010 becomes 2010Bar+Jo
  • A phrase, with longer words abbreviated, + symbol + number:
    “Libe Slope legs” with a 15% slope, becomes Libe Slpe legs=15%

To test possible passwords, go to the "Check Your Password" page.

Method 2: Shred (Acronyms)

Create a phrase or sentence. Add a comma, colon, semi-colon, period, or exclamation point if your phrase didn’t come with punctuation. Then take the first letter of each word. For example:

  • "This grand institution, this school of Cornell!" plus a 10th reunion in June 1992 becomes 10thTgi,tsoC!0692

To test possible passwords, go to the "Check Your Password" page.

Method 3: Puree (Secret Codes)

Invent a secret code that you use for any passwords you create, not just your Cornell password. Apply your secret code to passphrases, acronyms, or words. For example: 

  • Capitalize the first letter of every word.
  • Change certain letters into symbols or numbers (but be creative and avoid these overused and too-obvious substitutions: the number 0 for the letter o, the symbol @ for the letter a, the number 1 for the letter l, and the number 3 for the letter e).
  • Decide what to do with spaces: Don’t use any, keep some, or replace some with a specific symbol or number.
  • Put your meaningful number in a specific spot.

Example of a secret code password:

  • “Stone, Roberts, East Roberts” plus the first month at Cornell, August 1975, becomes St%08, R%b, E^s75R%b

The rules for this secret code: The first letter of every word is capitalized. Each word is abbreviated to the first three letters. The letter a is the symbol ^ and the letter o is the symbol %. The spaces that follow the commas are kept. The first part of the number goes after the first word, and the last part of the number goes before the last word.

To test possible passwords, go to the "Check Your Password" page.