Andela prioritizes safety and security in its operations. To protect your personal information and accounts, it's essential to secure your passwords by following guidelines that enhance password strength. Adhering to these practices can significantly lower the risk of unauthorized access and help maintain your account integrity.
Password Composition
- Be at least 8 characters long.
- Contain characters from the following character classes:
- Upper case alphabetic (e.g. A-Z)
- Lowercase alphabetic (e.g. a-z)
- Numeric (e.g. 0-9)
- Special characters (e.g. .,!@#$%~)
Password Hygiene
- Avoid using dictionary words, common names, or actual words for passwords.
- Do not use personal information like IDs, names, birthdays, or addresses in passwords.
- Your password must not include your username or variations of it.
- Use a passphrase that’s meaningful to you and includes special characters, numbers, and spaces.
- Do not reuse passwords across different accounts or systems.
- Change passwords regularly.
- Every user account must have a password.
- Reset default or blank passwords immediately after installation.
- Never send passwords via email, store them unencrypted, or write them down.
- Don't attempt to crack passwords without permission from Andela.
- Treat all passwords as confidential and do not share them.
- If you suspect a password is compromised, change it immediately and notify our support team.
Password Storage
- All passwords must be stored in an encrypted format when at rest to prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive information.
- Users should avoid storing passwords in plain text, including notebooks or documents, as this poses a security risk if they are lost or accessed by unauthorized individuals.
- It is recommended that passwords be securely stored using a strong password manager such as 1Password.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Using multi-factor Authentication (MFA) or 2-step Authentication enhances security and prevents unauthorized access. This method requires multiple verification factors, lowering the risk of unauthorized access even if a password is compromised and boosting user confidence in protecting personal data.