Changing passwords regularly is a good practice for maintaining digital security.  Simmons is moving towards an annual password change requirement.  If you haven’t changed your password in the last year, please consider doing so now.  Test your password strength and follow these instructions.

Security Against Unauthorized Access:  Regularly changing passwords reduces the risk of unauthorized access to your accounts.  If someone gains access to your password, changing it promptly can prevent continued unauthorized use.

Don’t re-use passwords:  Using unique passwords for each site localizes the risk in the event of a password breach.  Cybercriminals often use credential stuffing attacks, where they use leaked username and password combinations to gain unauthorized access to multiple accounts.

Password Complexity:  Changing passwords provides an opportunity to update and strengthen the complexity of passwords.  This includes using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters, making it harder for attackers to guess or crack passwords.  Avoid patterns (qwerty, 12345, abcdefg, etc.), and passwords that are easy to guess (Simmons2024!).

Preventing Identity Theft:  Regularly updating passwords is a proactive measure against identity theft.  If your login credentials are stolen, changing the password promptly can prevent criminals from using your identity for malicious purposes.