Passwords are the first step in securing our personal and institutional information. Widener University is held to security standards which help ensure the privacy of the data of our students, faculty, and staff.
What are the current requirements for my university password?
- Your password must be at least 8 characters.
- It must contain at least one number and one capital letter.
- It cannot contain certain easily-guessable words (Widener-related words, popular passwords as listed at Wikipedia – link)
- Your password must be changed every 185 days.
- Your password should be changed no more than once in ten minutes.
Where can I change my password?
If you’ve forgotten your password, or if it’s time to change it, go to pss.widener.edu.
How can I remember all these passwords?
One way to remember passwords (but still keep them secure) is to use memorable words in combination. We call these “passphrases.” For example, a person may have gone on vacation to Hawaii in April of 2014. A possible password (and pretty strong) is “OahuSand0414Rocks!”
Another way to keep track is with a password manager. Here are a couple of free versions:
- https://keepass.info
- https://www.dashlane.com (50 free)
I just changed my password and my mobile device’s email stopped working. Why?
Your mobile device stores your Widener password. You must change the password stored on the mobile device(s) anytime your password is changed.
