Mandatory Password Change for Staff

We are hard at work updating the network, back up, connections and security. As you can probably imagine, this is an absolutely huge task. We are putting a new filter in place and implementing lots of security measures to help keep everyone safe. You have probably read or heard about the numerous data breeches that other companies have faced. This is a major concern for all of us. I know that changing a password is not at the top of everyone’s “to-do” list. However, it is currently a necessary evil. With that in mind, we will be enforcing a password change for all users. We are also updating our password policies. 

The new password requirements will be as follows:

• Passwords must be different than previous passwords.
• Passwords must be at least 5 characters long.
• Passwords must contain characters from three of the following four categories:
  • Uppercase characters
  • Lowercase characters
  • Number (0 through 9)
  • Nonalphanumeric characters: ~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;”‘<>,.?/

Passwords must be changed between Friday (February 27th) at 8:00 am and Tuesday, March 16th at 5:00 p.m.

Any user without a password change during that time will be locked out from EMAIL and signing into a computer.

There are two ways that you can change your password:

1. Simply go to the Staff Page on the Dearborn Schools website, click on Staff, then click on Change your Password (under Productivity). Follow the prompts of entering your Login (User name only – the stuff before the @ sign), current (old) password and the new password twice. *Note that the new password MUST meet the new criteria – see below.
2. Sign on to a Windows computer that is on our network. Depress the CRTL | ALT | DELETE keys. Select Change password from the Task manager. Follow the prompts of entering your current (old) password and the new password twice. *Note that the new password MUST meet the new criteria – see below.

Some tips:

The easiest way to create a secure, memorable password is to use a phrase or multiple words that create a picture. 

TLDR: Please change your password. New criteria is in place.