Q. How
can I change my password?*
A.
Use a telnet program and connect to mirage.skypoint.com. At the "login:"
prompt, type in your SkyPoint account username. At the "Password:" prompt,
type in your password. When asked for your terminal type, type in "vt100"
(without the quotes).
You should be seeing
the first screen of a menu system. Press the letter corresponding to the "Personal
Utilities" entry. This will take you to a menu with several options. One of
those options is for "Change Password". You will be asked for your Old Password
(current), the New Password, and to retype your New Password as a
verification.
*This service is temporarily
disabled, please call our Technical Support Department for
assistance.
Q.
How do I choose a secure password?
A.
Always use a password that includes letters and numbers. For example, the
password SkyPoint gave you when you first signed up probably looked something
like a59n36s8. While this sort of password is hard to remember, it is also
the hardest for a hacker to crack. The password should also be 8 characters
long - longer passwords are also harder to guess.
We realize that this
option may not be practical for some people. The next best option is to use
numbers and letters in a combination that you can remember easily. For example,
think of the first line of a song like "Oh When The Saints Go Marching In."
You can use this as a mnemonic for the password "0wtsgm1". Notice that this
password uses the first letter of each of the words in that line of the song,
with the number "0" in place of an "o", and the number "1" in place of the
"i".
Finally, we offer several
password "don'ts". Don't use a number like your birthday or social security
number. This is a common mistake, and crackers who want to gain access to
a particular account can easily get these numbers. Don't use a dictionary
word with a number thrown in at some point like "house1" or "1cindy" or even
"pup7py". Crackers have programs that can try these combinations very quickly
and easily. Don't write down your password and keep it in your desk at work,
especially if your company has several accounts and all the account information
is stored in a central location. Don't give out your password to anyone, and
if you have to do so in an emergency, log on immediately afterward and change
it.
If you follow these simple
rules, you'll be doing you part to maintain security on your account and data,
and on everyone else's accounts on the system as well!
Q. What
if I lose my password?
A.
If you keep the password that SkyPoint assigned to you when you were notified
of your account creation, you can call us and we will look it up for you.
You will be asked for verification of your identity before we give you your
password.
If you have changed your
password, SkyPoint can not find out what it is. We can only create a new password
for you.
