MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-270): Installing ...

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■ Include both uppercase and lowercase letters (unlike user names, user passwords
are case sensitive), numerals, and the valid nonalphanumeric characters (such as
punctuation).
■ Using no password at all is not a good practice because it is then easy for other
users to just walk up to an unsecured computer and log on.
If users find that complex passwords are difficult to remember, tell them that Windows
XP allows the use of pass phrases instead of passwords. For example, a perfectly valid
password in Windows XP is “My dog ate 2 turkeys last Thanksgiving.” Another technique
is to join together simple words with numbers and symbols. An example of a
password that uses this technique is “2eggs+2bacon=1breakfast”.
Exam Tip You should understand the guidelines for creating strong passwords. In particular,
remember that a password should be a minimum of eight characters and should include a
mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Security Alert You can use a blank password by default on Windows XP Professional if the
computer is a member of a workgroup. However, you will only be able to use this password to
log on and access local resources on the computer. By default, the local security policy in
Windows XP prohibits you from logging on to a remote computer if you have a blank password.
The name of this security setting is Accounts: Limit Local Account Use Of Blank Passwords
To Console Logon Only. You will learn more about local security policy in Chapter 16,
“Configuring Security Settings and Internet Options.”
Creating Strong Passwords
Weak passwords are a big security risk. You should encourage users to select and
use strong passwords, even if they do not really want to. You can use the following
guidelines to create strong passwords:
■ Passwords should be at least eight characters long—and longer is better.
■ Passwords should use a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters,
numbers, and symbols (for example, ` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + - = { } | [ ] \
: “ ; ‘ < > ? , . / or a space character).
■ Passwords should be changed regularly.
Lesson 2 Planning New User Accounts
An example of a strong password using these guidelines is J5!if^8D.