Changing your passwords regularly is one of the best ways you can help protect the integrity of our NC State University computer systems. When you change your password, keep the following rules in mind:
- Don't use a password that is guessable--mix upper and lower case letters, characters and numbers to create character strings that cannot be found in the dictionary.
- Don't walk away from your system when you are logged in. Log out or lock the terminal so no one can use it.
- Don't share your user ID or password with anyone.
- Don't post your password where anyone can see it.
Some of our systems force you to change your password.
Changing your password on one system does not change it on another. For example, changing your Unity password will not automatically change your Macintosh password. Different systems have different password changing procedures. The steps for changing your password on various NC State systems are described below.
Unity
Change your password using the self-service tool. Reset your password using the self-service tool.- You should see a 'reset password' link beside More.
- Select the link and you will be prompted to enter your unity ID.
- Then you should be asked to answer one of your 2-factor security questions.
- You'll then have 30 minutes to change your password from the default password which would now be the 'current' password. Go back to the self-service tool to change it.
Your eight-digit default password consists of the last four digits of your Employee ID number plus your birth month and day, both entered as two-digit numbers. Example: For an Employee ID of 123456789 and a birth date of May 6, the default password would be 67890506.
Macintosh Computers
- Open System Preferences by clicking the icon in your Dock or selecting Apple -> System Preferences from the menu bar.
- Click Users & Groups.
- Select your name and then click the Change Password button.
