Passwords

How do I get a password to access Faculty computers?

Access to the computers in the Faculty of Law is restricted to Law students only. We may grant access to students studying an aspect of Law in the Faculty but you will need to request this access from the Computer Office (please note that this is entirely at the discretion of the Faculty). We may also ask you to provide a covering email / letter from your  director of studies confirming that you are studying an aspect of Law.

To access any computer in room S19, Floor 2 or Floor 3 you will need a PWF (Public Workstation Facility) password. You can find out what your password is by going to any PWF workstation and loging into the machine with a user id of signup and a blank password. A web browser should open and you will be asked a range of security questions (mainly name, date of birth and student number). Further details on the signup service can be found on the Computing Accounts for students web page. If you have forgotten your PWF password then please contact one of the Computer Officers in person. Please bring a form of identification, we will then reset your password for you.

How do I choose a password?

Passwords are used to protect your personal data. If you make your passwords too easy for intruders to guess, write them down or tell others your passwords you create a security risk for yourself and others. It's important that you find a balance between a memorable password and one that's difficult to crack or guess. Here are a few guidlines which will hopefully make this easier for you.

Try generating a password from an easy to remember pass-phrase that is important you. This should be a phrase which is easy for you to remember but one that no one else will ever think about attributing to you.

For example:
pass phrase: My Father's Birthday Is November Twenty Fifth Nineteen Sixty Six(6)
password: mfbin251966

pass phrase: "The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly Down The Drain"
password: TrIsFmDtD (alternate the case)

pass phrase: "It was a dark and stormy night!"
password: Iwad&sn!

Any of these passwords would be easy for you to figure out, but would be very difficult to crack. The idea in this method is not that the password itself is easy to remember but that the process that you go through to arrive at it is so simple that you find yourself re-creating the same password with the process without even thinking about it.

You could always try this method :

  • Take two words and combine them with a special character or a number, like roman!!law or cambridge&9LAW.
  • Put together an acronym that’s special to you like  Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what… Ttl*Hiww

Is My Password Secure?



Accessing Legal Resources

Athens Password

Faculty of Law Website Password

Hermes Email Password

Law PWF Password

Raven Password

Online Databases

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Computer Office, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge 10 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DZ, UK
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