Notes

No More Passwords... Passphrases are on the way





Upcoming changes to your EA passwords
It can be tricky to create a complex password in the hopes of boosting security, trying to memorize it and then being asked to change it again. Demands on uppercase letters, special characters, numbers and other requirements can be tiresome, and you’ve voiced your frustration. We’ve listened - and are now making some changes to ease the whole process of creating and using new passwords. Here’s what’s happening:
• Starting March 27th, there will be no more requirements for uppercase letter, number, or special characters. You can now create a password (passphrase) that is composed of all lowercase characters if you’d prefer.
• Good news! You no longer need to change your password (passphrase) every 90 days. Your passphrase will be good for two (2) years unless there is security reason for you to change it (you’ll be notified if this is the case).
• To facilitate the above improvements, your passphrase will need to be a bit longer than the current requirements; a minimum of 16 characters will now be required.
• Since most EA applications are now using Single Sign-On (Okta), the number of times that you need to type in your new passphrase on a daily basis won’t change.




Passphrase Dos and Don'ts
We recommend choosing a passphrase that appears to be composed of random words, whilst making it meaningful to you. Some examples:







Don’t choose a passphrase that contains your account name, first or last name, etc. Weak passphrases, such as those containing a pattern of repeated or consecutive characters, will be rejected by the system and you will be prompted to choose a new one.




Additional Help
If you’re curious as to why this is happening, please visit EA World where you can read an article by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that does a great job of explaining the reasoning behind these changes.

If you experience any issues with your passphrase or require further assistance, please contact [email protected]. There will be further notifications from EAIT about these changes closer to the date they come into effect.

EAIT and EA Security would like to thank you for your continued support of exercising strong passphrase policies and keeping your passphrase safe.



Thank you,
EA Security Team: [email protected]