Create a Strong Passphrase
 | Tips and requirements for coming up with your RCS Passphrase. |
|---|---|
 | Intended for Employees and Students |
 | Categorized under Classroom Technology and Systems |
 | Maintained by Matt Ringh |
 | in need of review. |
Passphrase Security
You should never give out your Passphrase to anyone. You should never write down your Passphrase. You should never e-mail your Passphrase to yourself for safekeeping. You should only memorize it. If you forget a Passphrase, a member of the tech department can reset it, but it is not possible for us to look up your Passphrase.
If something damaging or inappropriate is done using your account, it will appear as though you committed the action -- whether or not you were in fact involved. The technology department and the school administration will have no choice but to act as if you were the perpetrator. Therefore, you must be extremely diligent in protecting your passwords.
RCS Passphrase
Your RCS account is the username and Passphrase combination you use to log in to any computer on the RCS campus. This combo will also gain you access to your WiFi, Google Apps (gmail, calendar, etc.), Schoology, printing, and all other Riverdale sites.
Passphrase Requirements
We strongly encourage you to make a long passphrase that contains multiple words that are meaningful to you with a few digits thrown in.
The passphrase must:
- contain 12 or more characters (we recommend longer than the minimum length)
- not contain your first name, last name or username
- be different from a previous passphrase you've used at RCS
- contain at least one lowercase letter, uppercase letter, digit
Expired RCS passwords cannot be reset to a previous password... but you can alter a previous one slightly to make a new one! Adding a number or character to the end is an easy way to accomplish this.
We recommend you use this site to check your Passphrase complexity before setting it: How secure is my Passphrase?
Passphrase Expiration Period
Your Passphrase expires 13 months after you set it. This allows you to return to campus after summer vacation and use the same Passphrase you had before you left.
We warn you via email to change your Passphrase one month prior to expiration. Whether or not you see the warning, your Passphrase will expire after 13 months.
We strongly recommend that you reset your RCS Passphrase before it expires.
How do I Know if My Passphrase Expired?
Symptoms of this include:
- Inability to log into our wireless network
- Inability to log into campus computers
- Inability to log into myRiverdale, Okta, RCS Gmail, or other RCS online resources
What's a good Passphrase?
Contrary to popular belief, the complexity of your Passphrase is not its most important feature.
Here are the three steps to create a great password:
- Make it as long as possible, we recommend more than 15 characters.
- Don't make it a word that you can look up in the dictionary
- Don't use common substitutions
- Using a word like password ($ for s, 0 for o) to create a password like p@$$w0rd? Bad idea. Way too easy to crack.
Setting an RCS Passphrase
This is done in myRiverdale. Click here for full instructions.
Necessary next steps
Once you change your RCS Passphrase, you'll need to make some other changes to your devices. For each device you might use, here's what you should check and change:
- WiFi
- Saved credentials for printers on campus. See instructions for changing here
- Password in the settings for your mobile device
- Passwords saved in web browsers
Laptop vs. RCS Passphrase
If you have a laptop or home computer, you'll have an admin password for it. This may be different from your RCS Passphrase. Resetting one does not reset the other; you'll have to change both if you want them to be the same.
How Can I Get Help?
Still can't log in? Do any of the following:
- Enter a support ticket @ support.riverdale.edu
- Call x50
- Visit the Hill System Room (basement of Mow)
- Visit the River Tech Office
- Visit the helpdesk on either campus