Cornell NetID passphrase requirements were updated in Fall 2025 to include a minimum of 16 characters.Part of an ongoing effort to bolster protection of personal and institutional data, the updated guidelines emphasize longer, more memorable passphrases rather than traditional complex passwords.

Still puzzled about passphrases? This cartoon illustrates a simple way to create a complex but easy-to-remember phrase that is long and includes numbers, upper and lower case letters, and special characters. The cartoon's example passphrase is: I had 2 tacos for lunch.