Guidelines for setting the database password

When we create a new key database, we specify a key database password. This password protects the private key. The private key is the only key that can sign documents or decrypt messages that are encrypted with the public key. Changing the key database password frequently is a good practice.

Use the following guidelines when specifying the password:

• The password must come from the U.S. English character set.

• The password must contain at least six characters and contain at least two nonconsecutive numbers. Verify that the password does not consist of publicly obtainable information about you, such as the initials and birth date for you, our spouse, or children.

• Stash the password or enable secure sockets layer (SSL) password prompting.

Keep track of expiration dates for the password. If the password expires, a message writes to the error log. The server starts, but a secure network connection does not exist, if the password has expired.