How to manage your password
and the importance of device security.

Every E-mail account has a password. When a new account is created, we provide you a temporary password and we advise you to change that to something private. That is important. We cannot view your private password, so you should write it down somewhere. If you forget it, we'll have to reset it for you. (See the grey box below.)

You have, no doubt, heard that you should have a password that cannot easily be guessed. This is not an abstract concept.

On the evening of October 24, 2013, outgoing mail service was disabled for every @princeton-ma.us mailbox.

We were notified that spammers had compromised one of our @princeton-ma.us mailboxes and they used it to send out spam to other Internet users.

Customer Service was able to quickly contact the owner of the mailbox in question and worked with him to create a new, strong password for his mailbox. The service interruption was, fortunately, only a few hours long.

The lesson is that today's aggressive hackers can take down our whole E-mail system if just one individual is not careful about device security and password selection. Every user has a responsibility to use strong passwords and to maintain the security of their devices (computers, tablets, smartphones). Not to do so puts others at risk of losing their E-mail service.

Go to https://www2.suresupport.com/faq.php/50/172 to read some guidelines for creating strong passwords and to https://www2.suresupport.com/faq.php/50/615 for some tips on securing your E-mail service.

Here's an online tool that you can use to test the strength of your password:  http://www.passwordmeter.com/

To change your password, you must first do it on the mail server:

  • Open up a browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.) to www.princeton-ma.us
  • Click on the button Login to my E-mail account in the left column.
  • Then enter your E-mail Username and your current Password. You'll see your Inbox of messages.
  • Click on the Options tab and select Change Password from the list. Follow the instructions there to create a new one.

If you use an E-mail client (i.e., Outlook, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, etc.) you must then change the password there as well.

  • You can find password settings within the Account Settings.
  • The specifics depend upon which client you're using. Each will have a "Help" facility that will provide directions.

Of course, you'll have to update your password on other devices (i.e., tablets, smartphones) you use to access your E-mail.

Remember to make the change on the mail server first.

Return to list of FAQs

Please reset my password   > > > Forgot your password?
Just point here.