Account Security


Add Security Information

You cannot reset your password unless you add security information to your account by linking a phone number, personal email address, or mobile authenticator app to your Microsoft 365 account.

Add Security Information to Your Account

Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

Multifactor Authentication (MFA) increases the security of your account. All students are encouraged to enable MFA.

Learn about MFA

Change Your Password

I have forgotten my password, and I have added security information:

You can Reset your password.

I have forgotten my password, and I have not added security information:

Contact the Helpdesk by email at helpdesk@abtech.edu or by telephone at (828) 398-7550. They can give you a temporary password. Please change your password, then add security information.

I know my password, and I would like to change it:

You can change your password, but please be sure that you add security information first.

Step-by-step instructions can be found on the "How to Change Your Password" page on InfoBase. If you are unable to change your password using the links above, please contact the IT HelpDesk at helpdesk@abtech.edu.

Password Requirements

Any password that you use at A-B Tech…

  1. Must be at least eight characters long, but should be as long as possible

    Use a password that is as long as you are comfortable remembering and typing. A password's length is its most important characteristic.

  2. May consist of any supported character that you can type (lower- and uppercase letters, numbers, and punctuation/special characters)

    A long, simple password may be stronger than a short, complex password. You are encouraged to use more than just lowercase letters in your passwords, but if you want a stronger password, add length before you add complexity.

  3. Should be difficult to guess

    Your password should not contain details about yourself, details about your family/friends/pets, anything shared on social media, or any other information that someone may know about you. Attackers will use data like this to try and guess your password.

  4. Should not be used if it is found in a data breach

    Attackers have access to millions of passwords of actual users, gathered together from thousands of data breaches, and they may compromise your account if your password is in their collection. You can use A-B Tech's PasswordCheck to see if a password that you are considering has been found in a data breach.

  5. Must not be used with non-A-B Tech accounts

    Reusing passwords may put your account at risk, because an attacker who has compromised one of your non-A-B Tech accounts may be able to easily compromise your A-B Tech account. A-B Tech cannot prevent data breaches at third-party services and sites.

  6. Must be changed if it may be compromised

    If you have any suspicion that your password is known to someone else, you are expected to change it immediately. If College tech support suspects that your password is compromised, we will expire your password and assist you with a reset.

  7. Should be kept safe

    Because your password is the main way that we regularly identify you, it is important that you and you alone know your password. A-B Tech staff will never ask you for your password, and you should never provide it. You should never log in as someone else or allow someone to log in as you. You should never write down your password or store it in an insecure way.

Recommendations

  1. Pick (and personalize) a password creation technique. Coming up with a new password can be difficult, and sometimes it's easiest to just add a "1" or a "!" to your old password. If your old password is stolen and it does not work for the thief, then they will try it again with common password changes like this. Your new password should be significantly different from those that you have used before. It is best to come up with a good way to make new passwords. For example:
    1. Make a password out of the first letters of the words from a sentence: "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter" becomes "hmasbtuas", then tweak it in your own way (e.g. "/!hmasbtuas/!")
    2. Memorize a gibberish phrase (e.g. "frabigzip") and stick it in between some easy-to-remember words (e.g. "model frabigzip windshield"). Again, make it your own: "ModeL-frabigzip-WindshielD"
  2. Look into using a password manager – such as Bitwarden, Dashlane, Keeper, or 1Password – to reduce the number of passwords that you need to commit to memory.
  3. Use "Have I Been Pwned?" to see if one of your accounts has been exposed in a data breach.