PBGC Beefs Up Security

[Andy the Actuary]

This is a welcome and necessary change given the internationally reported efforts of cyber-terrorists and other dissidents to log on to MYPPA and alter unfunded vested benefits !!!

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Hello – This message is being sent to you because you have an online My Plan Administration Account (My PAA) account. My PAA is the web-based application used to electronically file premiums to our federal agency, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).

Federal information security regulations require us to strengthen the password requirements for My PAA. Stronger passwords will help better protect your personal and business information. Once the change takes effect (expected no later than August 1, 2012), you will be required to change your password to meet the new criteria, for example:

The length of the password must be between 10 and 24 characters without any spaces.

The password must contain at least 1 uppercase and 1 lowercase character.

The password must contain at least 1 number and 1 special character.

You will need to change your password periodically.

Please note that you do not need to rush to change your password after the new rules are implemented. You may continue to access My PAA according to your normal schedule; and My PAA will prompt you to change your password at the appropriate time. Also, please notify us if you are no longer using My PAA or if you set up an account by mistake so that we can deactivate your account (after removing any plans).

We thank you, in advance, for helping to keep your records up to date and secure. Please do not respond to this email. If you have any questions or requests, email them to premiums@pbgc.gov or call the practitioner toll-free number 1-800-736-2444 and select the “premium” option.

My PAA Administrators

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)

[tymesup]

I've got a few special characters for them.

[Andy the Actuary]

I've got a few special characters for them.

Yes, my password will be taken from the Terry Southern's (aka Maxwell Kenton) 1960's Candy and will amalgamate the immortal four-letter exclamations of Bambi.

[SoCalActuary]

I've got a few special characters for them.

Yes, my password will be taken from the Terry Southern's (aka Maxwell Kenton) 1960's Candy and will amalgamate the immortal four-letter exclamations of Bambi.

Which will put you a "leg-up" on the rest of us.

[frizzyguy]

I'd really hate for someone to break into my client's PBGC account and pay their premiums on time for them.

[david rigby]

99.99% of all plan sponsors access their MyPAA account no more than 2 times per year. All of them will be faced with an expired password. Brilliant design.

[Andy the Actuary]

Oh good grief. I just logged into EFAST2 -- first time since January 2012. It was bad enough you had to change your password quarterly, but now:

Password Requirements

* Must be between 8 and 16 characters long

* At least 1 uppercase alpha character

* At least 1 lowercase alpha character

* At least 1 numeric character

* At least 1 of the following special characters [!, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, )]

It's wonderful the government is so cautious about information that few have any interest in, is public record, and non-practitioners would have no idea how to manipulate.

[frizzyguy]

Oh good grief. I just logged into EFAST2 -- first time since January 2012. It was bad enough you had to change your password quarterly, but now:

Password Requirements

* Must be between 8 and 16 characters long

* At least 1 uppercase alpha character

* At least 1 lowercase alpha character

* At least 1 numeric character

* At least 1 of the following special characters [!, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, )]

It's wonderful the government is so cautious about information that few have any interest in, is public record, and non-practitioners would have no idea how to manipulate.

Not to mention, the ones with the real interest to manipulate the data have the passwords and login already any way.

[Andy the Actuary]

Oh good grief. I just logged into EFAST2 -- first time since January 2012. It was bad enough you had to change your password quarterly, but now:

Password Requirements

* Must be between 8 and 16 characters long

* At least 1 uppercase alpha character

* At least 1 lowercase alpha character

* At least 1 numeric character

* At least 1 of the following special characters [!, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, )]

It's wonderful the government is so cautious about information that few have any interest in, is public record, and non-practitioners would have no idea how to manipulate.

Not to mention, the ones with the real interest to manipulate the data have the passwords and login already any way.

I've selected my first password: b@!!$&1T

[Andy the Actuary]

For EFAST2, used something like X Y Z J u l @ 2 0 1 2. Worked fine.

Same password did not work for MYPPA. It didn't like the @. So, by special character, MYPPA meant one of their examples. Maybe?

To quote Vernon Wormer, "I hate those guys."

[tymesup]

I tried "*" as a special character a couple of days ago. It was a little too special, apparently. I had to go to the tips to discover why my new password was unacceptable.

[Andy the Actuary]

It's bad enough you continually have to change the password for both EFAST2 and MYPPA. It's worse that the websites' password rules differ.

Dean Wormer