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What is a Passphrase

A passphrase is another word for a password however it encourages a sequence of words or other text rather then a single word to control access to a computer system, program or data. A passphrase is similar to a password in usage, but is generally longer for added security.  The passphrase at Royal Roads can also contain spaces, numbers and special characters.

What are the Passphrase requirements

• Minimum 12 characters, no more than 16.
• any combination of letters, numbers, space, symbols and/or caps
• Can only be changed once every 24 hours
• Cannot be the same as a passphrase you've used the past 5 times you've changed
• We recommend phrases like "I love Poutine!" or "RRUcomputerservicesisawsome"
• Your account will be locked out after 10 unsuccessful attempts.  You must contact Computer Services to have the account unlocked.

Your passphrase should be unique for each account. Using the same passphrase at multiple places, especially that use the same username, can turn a stolen passphrase from an unnerving inconvenience to a full fledged nightmare.

Some issues reported by other students:

• 16 digit passphrases seem to give an error, so if your new passphrase is exactly 16 characters and not working, trying adding an extra character or change it to something shorter
• Passwords with all numbers gave a student some difficulties
• Too long (more then 25 characters) can also be problematic
• If it constantly tells you the "confirm password" is wrong and you are using Safari, try a different browser like Chrome or Firefox instead.