Snapshot User Password Rules and Security Questions ver 1.3.pdf -1- Product of U.S. Government. Approved for public release. Distribution unlimited.

AMPS Password Policies

Purpose: AMPS password policies enable you to set up a strong 

password using multiple character types. Note that the 

password you choose must fulfill ALL of the character-type 

policies to be valid. These policies include the following rules:

 15 to 32 characters in length

 4 or more alpha characters:

 2 or more lower case characters

 2 or more UPPER case characters

 2 or more numeric characters

 2 or more special characters, EXCEPT the following 

characters:

 Accent mark ` 

 Ampersand &

 “At” sign @

 Brackets, parentheses, or braces [ ] ( ) { } 

 Colon : 

 Dollar sign $

 Double, single, or straight quotes “ ” ‘ ’ " '

 Percent sign % 

 Question mark ?

 Slashes / \ 

Additional rules include the following:

 Password must begin with at least one alpha character. 

 Password cannot begin with a numeric or special 

character.

 Exclude any combination of characters that spells a 

recognizable word.

 Exclude the value of these attributes: accountID, 

email, firstname, fullname, or lastname. 

 Do not repeat any of your previous 10 passwords when 

resetting a password.

Where to Manage Your Password: On the My Information 

screen, you can reset your password at any time. You must use 

10 different passwords before you can reuse any password.

Understanding AMPS 

Password Policies and 

Security Questions

AMPS Snapshot: Password Policies and Security Questions—External Users

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1. Click Change Password. 

2. Fill in the old, or current, password.

3. Fill in a password that fulfills policies. 

4. Reenter to confirm the password. 

5. Click OK.

Change Password

1. Click Set Security Questions. 

2. Select a different question from each drop-down list.

3. Fill in an answer to each question (minimum: 3 characters).

4. Click OK.

Manage Security 

Questions

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Some special characters you 

can use:

~ Tilde

! Exclamation

# Pound sign

^ Carrot sign

* Asterisk

- Hyphen

_ Underscore

+ Plus

= Equal sign

< Less Than

> Greater Than

Note!

When you change your AMPS password, this change is 

propagated to each AUTO-PROVISIONED application for which 

you have a role. Occasionally, an auto-provisioned application 

may not accept a character that AMPS does accept, and a 

password valid in AMPS may be invalid in an application.

If you have difficulty resetting a password, contact the Enterprise 

Help Desk for assistance and recommendations.

AMPS Security 

Questions

Purpose: If you forget your 

password, you can request a 

password reset through the 

AMPS login screen. However, 

AMPS requires you to respond 

with the answers you provided 

at registration to three of the 

following questions:

 What is your mother’s 

maiden name?

 What is your favorite 

color?

 What city were you born 

in?

 What is your favorite 

movie?

Where to Manage Security 

Questions: 

On the My Information screen, 

you can select a new array of 

questions and enter new 

answers. The minimum number 

of characters for any answer is 

three characters.