The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors to protect the passwords they use to access USPS online accounts and to not share them with anyone, including co-workers.
Passwords are basically the digital keys that secure online accounts. The stronger the password, the more secure the account.
However, it’s estimated that 68 percent of Americans unfortunately use the same passwords for multiple accounts.
That’s why sharing passwords is dangerous.
If someone knows the password to one of your accounts, they might be able to gain access to others.
When creating passwords, employees should follow these tips:
• Avoid using easily guessed associations, such as family names, birthdays or pet names.
• Update your passwords — which should be at least 16 characters long — every 90 days, or as soon as possible if you suspect a password has been compromised
• Passwords written on paper should be stored in a safe, secure location.
Also consider using passphrases instead of passwords.
The Postal Service’s password policies are detailed in Handbook AS-805 Information Security.
Failure to follow USPS password policies could put the organization’s network and your personal information at risk and may result in disciplinary action.
The CyberSafe at USPS Blue page has more information on learning how to create, store and protect your password.
