FSMTC PASSWORD SELECTION GUIDELINES
Telecom has recently seen an increase in Internet account misuse. Most of these instances are a result of lax password security. Telecom must hold the account holders accountable for any misuse if the password is guessed, disclosed, or compromised. As such it behooves account holders to exercise safe practices with their passwords. Telecom recommends that all users change their passwords, keeping in mind the guidelines given below.
When selecting a new password, the following guidelines will improve the security of your password:
- Select a password that is at least six characters long. The longer the password, the less vulnerable it is to brute force guessing methods.
- Do not use a word that can be found in any dictionary. Hackers have tools that will attempt every word in a dictionary in attempt to get your password.
- Do not append a number to a dictionary word or substitute letters for numbers (such as "nice1" or "h3ll0"). Hacker tools are wise to such tricks.
- Do not use personal information such as your name, the names of family members, a birth date, a telephone number, your ATM PIN, your license plate number, a pet's name, etc.
- Passwords are case sensitive, so use upper and lower case letters. For best results, mix the use of upper and lower case.
- Do not use passwords that consist of a single repeated character such as 77777 or aaaaaa.
Password Management Guidelines:
Once you have changed your password, do no share it. The fewer people who know your password the better.
If you must write down your password, keep the paper in a secure location.
Applications that remember passwords are a great convenience, but they do so at the expense of lessened security. You should never use this option when using public computers such as those in computer labs and Internet cafes. Weigh carefully the risk of unauthorized use versus the convenience before using this feature on your home or office computers.
If you suspect that your password has been compromised, change it immediately. Contact customerservice@fsmtc.fm for assistance.
