Internet

Security Requirements for Creating a Cox Password

Passwords used to log in to Cox email or account services must meet all of the following requirements.

• Must be between 8 and 24 characters long
• Must include both letters and numbers
• Must not include any form of the word 'password'  
• Must not contain any form of the email address or Cox login username

Recommendations for Strengthening Passwords

Hackers have a difficult time breaking or stealing a password that has the following characteristics.

• Is between 15 and 24 characters long
• Contains:
  • At least one symbol or special character: !@#$%^*()
  • Case-sensitive lettering, such as SaMpLe4 rather than sample4
• Does not contain:
  • Alphabetic series either forwards or backwards, such as ABCDEF or FEDCBA
  • Numeric series, either forwards or backwards, such as 123456 or 654321
  • A string of all identical letters or numbers, such as AAAAAA or 111111
  • A common keyboard shortcut , such as ASDFG or QWERTY
  • A spouse's name or birthday
• Is in the form of an easy to remember pass phrase. A pass phrase is a sentence that only the account holder can remember.
  
  Example: Use an expression like "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Use the first letter of each word of the sentence in the password. In this example, the password would contain yctaodnt, then add a numeral, special character, and capitalization to get 4ycTaodnT!.