Password Criteria and Guidelines

Beginning Friday May 31st, ²⁰²⁴, TTI will begin using a new password policy that no longer expires passwords for all accounts. Once your current password expires, the new policy will take effect the next time you change your password. To take advantage of the new policy, feel free to proactively change your password after May 31^stusing our self-service password reset portal (password.tti.tamu.edu) to do so.

Here are the basics of the new password policy:

Passwords require three out of fourof the following categories:
- Uppercase characters
- Lowercase characters
- Numbers
- Symbols
Passwords must be a minimum of 16 characters in length, there will be no exceptions for passwords shorter than 16 characters
Passwords no longer need to be changed every 6 months
Password updates are only required when requested, or if security incident occurs

This updated password policy makes everyone and agency data and resources more secure with the added benefit of relieving the burden of changing passwords multiple times each year.

For information on creating a secure password, or even better, a passphrase, here is information from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Administration: Use Strong Passwords | CISA

Refer to the complete passphrase policy at https://iso.tti.tamu.edu/controls/IA-05-727.html.

Keep It Private

Important: Under no circumstances should you share your passphrase with anyone, including students, employees, parents, spouses, other family members or NIS personnel.

Because social media has decreased privacy, pass-phrases should not contain personal information. Do not include names of your spouse, children, pets or friends. Pass-phrases should not contain your home address, license plate, phone number or social security number.

Keep your passphrase secret. Do not send it through electronic mail or regular mail, or give it out over the phone.

Tip: Set up Self-Service Password Reset at https://password.tti.tamu.edu. You can reset a forgotten passphrase on your own without calling NIS.

Multiple Pass-phrases

Most TTI information systems utilize the TTI single sign-on (SSO) authentication system which allows you to use your TTI network username and passphrase. Other entities (TAMUS Single Sign-On, TAMU Central Authentication Service (CAS), and individual applications) use separate authentication systems for which you must maintain a different username and passphrase. Changes to one passphrase do not necessarily affect pass-phrases on other systems.

For assistance with systems maintained by other entities, please contact the help desk of that entity for assistance.

TAMUS Single Sign-On / HRConnect

TTI Human Resources
(979) 317-2055

TAMU Central Authentication Service (NetID)

TAMU IT Help Desk
(979) 845-8300

Changing Your Passphrase

If your passphrase needs to be changed, you can set a new passphrase quickly by simultaneously pressing the Control + Alt + Delete keys on your TTI Windows computer. A Windows logon Information screen will appear. Click the Change a Password button to easily set a new passphrase. You'll need to enter values in the Old Password, New Password, and Confirm New Password fields.

Alternatively, you can browse to the TTI self-service password reset page to quickly change the passphrase yourself.