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Passwords

How to change a DICE password

Login to a DICE machine, open a terminal window (how to open a terminal window) and type passwd.

If you can't do that, ask for help from Computing Support - to find them see the help desk page.

If you have not yet set a DICE password, you can set it online at https://pp.inf.ed.ac.uk.

Password policy for DICE accounts

DICE passwords must currently:

  • be at least 8 characters long, and
  • be composed of a minimum of:
    • 3 character classes (for a password length of 8-12 characters)
    • 2 character classes (for a password length of 13-19 characters)

Passwords which are 20 characters or more have no character class constraints.

The four recognised character classes are:

  • lowercase letters
  • uppercase letters
  • digits
  • symbols (all non-alphanumeric characters, including space)

In addition, any new password must differ from the previous two passwords.

Any new password will also be checked against a large dictionary of known password/passphrases. Any password that matches an entry in this dictionary will be rejected.

These standards are enforced at password creation/update time by the School's Kerberos Key Distribution Centre (KDC).

Choosing a good password

A good password is something which is easy for you to remember, but difficult for someone else to guess. You should avoid commonly known words or phrases.

See also Information Services' advice on choosing strong passwords.

Regulations

You must not share your password with anyone else or any other external service

You must not write your password down but you may use a secure password manager.

You must not reuse your DICE password anywhere else (including your University account).

Last reviewed: 
07/02/2024

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