Passwords are an important aspect of computer security. They are the front line of protection for user accounts. A poorly chosen password may result in the compromise of an entire network. As such, all Alphalink accounts are issued a unique, randomly generated password that consists of a mixture of 8 upper and lower case letters and numbers.

Every member is responsible for maintaining the security of his or her password.

Some Recommendations for Security:

Do not share your password with anyone.
Passwords should never be written down and stored anywhere in your home, office or on-line.
Do not store passwords in a file on ANY computer system (including Palm Pilots or similar devices) without encryption.
Do not use the same password for Alphalink accounts as for other access (e.g., personal bank account, option trading, benefits, etc.).
Do not use the "Remember Password" feature of applications (e.g., Eudora, Outlook, Netscape Messenger) if you do not want other users of your computer to have access to your account.
Change passwords at least once every six months. (The recommended change interval is every four months).

Some other don'ts in general:

• Don't reveal a password over the phone to ANYONE
• Don't reveal a password in an email message
• Don't talk about a password in front of others
• Don't hint at the format of a password (eg. "my family name")
• Don't reveal a password on questionnaires or security forms
• Don't share a password with family members
• Don't reveal a password to co-workers while on vacation

If you suspect that your account or password has been compromised, report the incident to Alphalink and change your password immediately.

It is possible to request your own choice of password if you wish to, provided that it adheres to our guidelines for security. That is, it must be a mixture of 8 upper and lower case letters and numbers. Requests for a change of password are only available by calling us on 1300 137 425. For security reasons they are not available via email or fax.

The following general information about passwords may be helpful in devising your own.

Poor, weak passwords have the following characteristics:

• The password contains less than eight characters
• The password is a word found in a dictionary (English or foreign)
• The password is a common usage word such as
  • Names of family, pets, friends, co-workers, fantasy characters, etc.
  • Computer terms and names, commands, sites, companies, hardware, software
  • Birthdays and other personal information such as addresses and phone numbers
  • Word or number patterns like aaabbb, qwerty, zyxwvuts, 123321, etc.
  • Any of the above spelled backwards
  • Any of the above preceded or followed by a digit (e.g., secret1, 1secret)

Strong passwords have the following characteristics:

• Contain both upper and lower case characters (e.g., a-z, A-Z)
• Have digits as well as letters e.g. 0-9
• Are at least eight alphanumeric characters long
• Are not a word in any language, slang, dialect, jargon, etc.
• Are not based on personal information, names of family, etc.

If you are creating your own password, it is a good idea to develop one that is easy to remember so that you do not need to record it anywhere. One way to do this is to create a password based on a song title, affirmation, or other phrase. For example, the phrase might be: "This May Be One Way To Remember" and the password could be: "TmB1w2R!" or "Tmb1W>r~" or some other variation. NOTE: Do not use either of these examples as passwords!

To avoid disappointment when calling us with your own password request, please ensure that your choice conforms to our requirements of a mixture of 8 upper and lower case alphanumeric characters.

Remember, you, alone, are responsible for the use of your account and the security of your password so please take good care of them!