Passwords help protect your Microsoft Office 2010 files by encrypting them so other people will not be able read or change their contents. Your level of password protection is based on how well the password is constructed. Passwords with greater complexity are more difficult to guess and will provide greater security than those that are not.
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How are Password Policy rules enforced?
IT administrators enforce strong password policies by configuring Group Policy settings that match their organization’s security needs. To learn more about how to deploy password policy rules in an organization, search for the TechNet article, Plan password complexity settings in Office 2010.
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Password-policy error messages
There are two common error messages that appear when you try to protect a file that has a password that does not comply with password-policy rules.
- The password does not meet the minimum length A warning message appears that indicates you need more characters. Solution: Use a password that meets or exceeds the minimum-length stated on the message. The following image is an example of the warning message.
- The password does not meet the minimum complexity rules A warning message appears that indicates you need more types of characters. Solution: Use a password that meets or exceeds the minimum requirements stated on the message. The following image is an example of the warning message.
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Creating a strong password
To create a stronger and more complex password, use passwords that are at least seven characters long, and that include characters from at least four of the groups listed below.
- Upper-case characters (A through Z)
- Lower-case characters (a through z)
- Numerals (0 through 9)
- Non-alphabetic characters (for instance: ! $ # or %)
- The password should not include your account name
Important Passwords and pass phrases should be easy for you to remember but difficult for others to guess.
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