Password and Passphrase Security › Password Controls › Random Password Generation

Random Password Generation

By using the RANDOM option, when prompted for a password, a user can invoke CA Top Secret to generate a random password.

Note: This option only works when the RNDPW facility control option is ON.

Random passwords can be generated by:

• A user requesting a random password, or
• A security administrator instructing CA Top Secret to generate a random password for any user whose password has expired

All random passwords will conform to the designated password masks and will also be checked against the restricted password list.

Requesting a Random Password

To automatically generate a random password, users can specify the RANDOM option. The randomly generated password will appear on the screen until the screen is cleared. The NEWPW(MINDAYS=nn) restriction does not apply to randomly generated passwords.

Automatic Password Generation After Expiration

CA Top Secret can be requested to randomly generate a new password whenever a user attempts to signon after his password has expired. This capability is turned on through the NEWPW control option, by specifying NEWPW(RN).

Note: This option only works when the RNDPW control option is turned ON.

Users whose passwords have been automatically generated by CA Top Secret, can still change passwords at any time, unless prevented from doing so by NOPWCHG or NEWPW(NU), discussed on the following page.