Recipe: Use Telnet to Change your password.

For security purposes, we must sometimes change our passwords. Our new password must not be based on a dictionary word, and must not be too similar to our old password. (Consider a password like the ones on the AOL cd's, which are two dictionary words, separated by a number.)

Mac users, please click here.

1:  Click Start, then Run, and in the Run command line, type: "telnet webinstituteforteachers.org" without the quotes.

2:  The telnet window opens and you must type in your login (user) name.

3. You type in your user name and press enter.  Telnet then asks for your password.  Type your password carefully, because telnet does not show what you are typing.  When you are finished with your password, press enter.

4:  A correct password will get you something like the following information.

Caldera OpenLinux(TM)
Version 2.2
Copyright 1996-1999 Caldera Systems, Inc.

login: tjones
Password:
Last login: Sun Apr 14 20:31:09 2002 from 12-251-173-147.client.attbi.com on tty
p1

To change your password, type the command "passwd".

tjones@cuip:~> passwd

You will be asked to type your current password.

Changing password for tjones
(current) UNIX password:

If you type your current password correctly, you will be asked to type your new password, twice.

New user password:
Retype new user password:

If you make a mistake with your typing, you get this message.

Sorry, passwords do not match
New user password:

If your new password is too similar to your old one, you get this message.

BAD PASSWORD: is too similiar to the old one
New user password:

If your new password is based on a dictionary word, you get this message.

BAD PASSWORD: it is based on a dictionary word
New user password:

If you type a password that is not based on a dictionary word, is not too similar to your old password, and is typed correctly, you will see the message below.

New user password:
Retype new user password:

passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully

Note: These commands should work on either Windows or Macintosh Comptuers. Telnet comes with the Windows operating system. If you search your Macintosh for "telnet" you may find a telnet program that you can use on your machine.

If not you may want to download and install a telnet program. A free telnet program for Macintosh can be downloaded at http://itprodownloads.com/filedownload?fileid=158447. A list of similar programs can be found at Network Computing IT Pro Downloads, though some may not be free. I found this list by going to the Network Computing main site, and searching the site for Macintosh telnet programs.

Once you have found, or downloaded and installed, your telnet program, you can go back to the top of this page and follow the directions listed.

Back to the top of this page.

This module was written by Terry Jones.