How to change your Network password

Changing your network password periodically will help to keep not only your personal information secure but also that of your friends, relatives, your department, and the University as a whole. There are currently three ways to change your network password at Concordia University. Each are listed below as their own section.

Keeping your network password secure is critically important. Concordia ITS recommends changing your network password at least once a year, preferably once every semester. In this article, we will go over how to change your network password.

Concordia-issued computers — On-campus network

Follow the steps below to change your network password from a campus computer.

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete
2. Click Change Password
3. Enter the following information:
   • User name: your network username
   • Log on to: NTDOM
   • Old Password: your current network password
   • New Password: your new network password
   • Confirm New Password: your new network password
4. Click OK.
5. Click OK to close the confirmation dialog box.
6. Click Cancel to close the Windows Security console and return to Windows.

Concordia-issued computers — Off-campus

MyProfile is the way to change your password off-campus.

• Using MyProfile: Follow the steps in the Resetting your Network Password article.

VPN / PC Password Update

IMPORTANT NOTE: After Using Either Method

You will need to complete the following procedure to update the login credentials on your computer.

1. Connect to the CU network via VPN using your new updated password created above.
2. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL and select "Lock this computer."
3. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL again to unlock, then sign in with your new password.

Personally-owned computers — On-/Off-campus network

• Follow the steps in the Resetting your Network Password.

Passwords: Best practices

Passwords are meant to protect both access to information and services. As such, it can be a challenge to formulate a password that is difficult for others to guess, but easy for you to remember. Please see our Password Creation and Management Basics

Some good rules of thumb to use are:

• Lean towards a larger number of characters in your password (longer is harder for computers to crack)
  • CU networking account passwords require at least five (5) characters, but you can use more.
• Use both numbers and letters in your password
  • You can substitute numbers for letters and vice versa in words you plan to use
• Use both lower and uppercase characters
• Include special characters, such as ^, *, #, @
  • You can also substitute special characters for letters or numbers in a word or series of words you plan to use
• Change your password regularly.

Examples of good passwords

• Long/Simple: Where In the Course of human events
• Long/Obscure: correct horse battery staple
• Short Complex: H@pp4h^t
• Short Complex: F4ls3+

Support

The ITS department does not keep a record of current passwords. However, if you are having trouble with your password and need it reset, contact the Technology Center via email at support@cu-portland.edu