Tips for creating account names and passwords
The following are suggestions for creating account names and passwords that are valid and secure:
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Passwords are case-sensitive. For example, if you specify a password as zFootBallz2, FileMaker Pro will not accept zfootballz2. When you’re entering a password for an account, make sure the Caps Lock key on your keyboard is not inadvertently enabled.
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Use only ASCII characters in passwords, such as a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and punctuation characters like “!” and “%.” Passwords containing certain accented characters or non-Roman characters such as Cyrillic or Japanese may not work, particularly in cross-platform database solutions and files accessed via FileMaker WebDirect.
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Secure passwords are typically eight or more characters in length, and include at least one numeric character.
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Passwords are less secure when they include strings that are easily guessed, such as names (especially the names of family and pets), birth dates, anniversary dates, and in particular the words password, default, master, admin, and similar standard terms.
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Account names are not case-sensitive. For example, if you specify an account name as Chris, the account user can successfully open the file by entering chris or CHRIS as the account name.
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If multiple users are sharing the same account (such as a shared “Marketing” account or “Sales” account), change the password occasionally, particularly when certain users no longer require access. Redistribute the new password to the people who need it, and remind them not to share the password with unauthorized users. See Creating and editing accounts.
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If the file is shared via Web Publishing, also limit account names to ASCII characters. Do not use colons in account names and passwords of web-published files.
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If possible, create a unique account for each user, and set up privilege sets to require periodic password changes.
If it is not feasible to create a unique account for each user, then consider using group accounts for users with more restrictive access, and individual accounts for users with less restrictive access.
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Practice good management of known account names and passwords:
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Do not record account information in a master file or list, especially if it is not, in turn, secured by a password and encryption or stored in a secure location.
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Do not share account information with other users; always contact the owner or administrator of a database to obtain the correct password to be used.
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In most cases, an account that is shared by multiple users should not require a password change upon first login. Instead, specify a password and provide it to the users who need it. Also, the privilege set for a shared account should not permit password changes. See Editing other privileges.
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