Glossary A–ZLetter P
Password policy
A password policy sets out the requirements passwords in a system must meet and how they are handled, such as minimum length, lockout after failed attempts and blocking of known passwords.
It can be enforced technically or laid down as an internal rule.
In screen networks, it applies in two places: the accounts in the management software and the local logins on the devices, such as the player’s settings page or the display’s service menu. The second is often forgotten. Devices that all ship with the same default password are open to anyone who knows the manual, for as long as nobody changes it.
Current recommendations, for example from Germany’s BSI, focus on length and uniqueness rather than complicated character rules and no longer call for regular changes without cause; a password is changed when it may have become known. A password manager makes it easier to use a different password for every login. A policy does not replace a second factor, and passwords do not belong on a note stuck to the device.