Password

Awareness














Why would some
someone want to
steal my password?

Passwords are the only keys that
prevent unauthorized entry to
many Emtels systems

Hackers may want to corrupt your
fles

Hackers may want to send
embarrassing or ofensive emails
to you or someone else

Hackers may want to use your
systems or Emtels systems to
compromise other systems or
atack other systems

Hackers may want to steal Emtels
resources like bandwidth,
processing power or storage space
Hacking Methods


The easiest method used to break a
password is to simply guess or by
social engineering. Its usually
straightforward because many people
use personal information such as
family name, birth dates, 123456,
password etc as their passwords.
More sophisticated hacking methods
include using software that can
decrypt password within minutes.
These methods are known as brute-
force attacks or dictionary attacks.
It may seem nearly impossible to
prevent an unauthorized person from
stealing your password, but having a
strong password can slow the attacker
to the point that it causes them to give
up.



Passwords are a critical
information security
component. They are the
front line of protection for
user accounts. A poorly
chosen password may
result in the compromise of
Emtels entire corporate
network and information
system. Consequently,
passwords are also one of
the most common targets
of people trying to access
information without
authorization and as such,
all employees are
responsible to take
appropriate steps towards
securing their password.

Password DOs &
DONTs

Always Use a Password
Using anything as a password is always
better than a blank password.
Dont Make Your Password Too
Obvious
Try to avoid passwords obvious
personal significanceyour last name
for example. Also do not use default
passwords such as the words
password or administrator etc or
common dictionary words.
Dont Make Your Password Too Short
Password should be at least eight
characters long.
Add Complexity to Passwords
Adding complexity to passwords
creates exponentially stronger
passwords. Characteristics of strong
password are:
Contain both upper and lower case
characters (e.g. a-z, A-Z)
Contain digits and special
characters (e.g. 0-
9,!@#$ %^&*+_():;<>?{}[])
Dont Share or reveal Your Password
with Anyone
You should never share your password
with anyone, not your boss, family
member or friend. If youre on
vacation, and access to your system is
genuinely needed, kindly inform
Security Team first.
Password Protection Standards
Do not reveal password over a
phone call or in emails
Do not hint at the format of a
password (my family name)
Do not reveal passwords on
questonnaire or security forms
Do not use the Remember
Password feature of applicatons
Do not write down passwords and
store them in your ofce
Do not store passwords in a fle on
ANY computer system
Change your password if
compromise is suspected and
report the incident to IT and
Security Team immediately
Creating Strong
Passwords

Following the above guidelines will
help you create a strong password. If
you would like further guidance or
explanations and policies on
passwords, please find the Information
Security Policies on Emtel SharePoint.

For more information, contact the
Emtel Information Security Team
GSecurity@emtelnet.com


Emtel Ltd Security Team 2014