Knowing What Type of Password to Use

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HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security

Security for the User

Using the System Responsibly

Choosing a Password for Your Account

Password Requirements for Different Types of Accounts

Knowing What Typeof Password to Use

There are several types of passwords recognized by the OpenVMSoperating system. In general, you need to provide a userpassword when you log in. In some cases, you might alsoneed to provide a system password to gainaccess to a particular terminal before logging in with your userpassword. If you are using a system with high security requirements,you might need to provide a primary password anda secondary password.

If you are an externally authenticated user with externalauthentication enabled on your system, you enter yourLAN Manager password at the OpenVMS password prompt. See Enabling External Authentication for more information. Types of Passwords describes each typeof password.

Table 2 Types of Passwords
Password Description

User password
Required for most accounts.After you enter your user name, you are prompted for a password.If the account requires both primary and secondary passwords, you mustenter two passwords.

System password
Controls access to particularterminals and is required at the discretion of the security administrator.System passwords are usually necessary to control access to terminalsthat might be targets for unauthorized use, such as dialup and public terminallines.

Primary password
The first of two user passwordsto be entered for an account requiring both primary and secondarypasswords.

Secondary password
The second of two user passwords to beentered for an account requiring both primary and secondary passwords.The secondary password provides an additional level of securityon user accounts.

Typically,the general user does not know the secondary password; a supervisoror other key person must be present to supply it. For certain applications,the supervisor may also decide to remain present while the accountis in use. Thus, secondary passwords facilitate controlled loginsand the actions taken after a login.

Secondarypasswords can be time-consuming and inconvenient. They are justified onlyat sites with maximum security requirements. An example of an accountthat justifies dual passwords would be one that bypasses normalaccess controls to permit emergency repair to a database.

**Table 2** **Types of Passwords**
Password	Description
User password	Required for most accounts.After you enter your user name, you are prompted for a password.If the account requires both primary and secondary passwords, you mustenter two passwords.
System password	Controls access to particularterminals and is required at the discretion of the security administrator.System passwords are usually necessary to control access to terminalsthat might be targets for unauthorized use, such as dialup and public terminallines.
Primary password	The first of two user passwordsto be entered for an account requiring both primary and secondarypasswords.
Secondary password	The second of two user passwords to beentered for an account requiring both primary and secondary passwords.The secondary password provides an additional level of securityon user accounts. Typically,the general user does not know the secondary password; a supervisoror other key person must be present to supply it. For certain applications,the supervisor may also decide to remain present while the accountis in use. Thus, secondary passwords facilitate controlled loginsand the actions taken after a login. Secondarypasswords can be time-consuming and inconvenient. They are justified onlyat sites with maximum security requirements. An example of an accountthat justifies dual passwords would be one that bypasses normalaccess controls to permit emergency repair to a database.

Entering a System Password

Your security administrator will tell you if you must specifya system password to log in to one or more of the terminals designatedfor your use. Ask your security administrator for the current systempassword, how often it changes, and how to obtain the new systempassword when it does change.

To specify a system password, do the following:

Press the Returnkey until the terminal responds with the recognition character,which is normally a bell.
```
Return <bell>
```

Enter the system password, and press Return.
```
Return 
```
As this example shows, there is no prompt and no echo of thecharacters you type. If you fail to specify the correct system password,the system does not notify you. (Initially, you might think thesystem is malfunctioning unless you know that a system passwordis required at that terminal.) If you do not receive a responsefrom the system, assume that you have entered the wrong password,and try again.

When you enter the correct system password, youreceive the system announcement message, if there is one, followedby the Username: prompt.

For example:
```
MAPLE - A member of the Forest Cluster     Unauthorized Access Is Prohibited     Username:
```

Entering a Secondary Password

Your security administrator decides whether to require theuse of secondary passwords for your account at the time your accountis created. When your account requires primary and secondary passwords,you need two passwords to log in. Minimum password length, whichthe security administrator specifies in your UAF record, appliesto both passwords.

An example of a login requiring primary and secondary passwordsfollows:

     WILLOW - A member of the Forest Cluster         Welcome to OpenVMS on node WILLOWUsername: RWOODSPassword: Return Password: Return     Last interactive login on Friday, 11-DEC-2001 10:22$

As with a single password login, the system allots a limitedamount of time for the entire login. If you do not enter a secondarypassword in time, the login period expires.

Choosing a Password for Your Account

Password Requirements for Different Types of Accounts