Addressing weak passwords in order to achieve Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust provides community-based and inpatient mental health care and treatment to a population of 1.2 million people living in Bolton, Salford, Trafford and Manchester.

When it came to achieving Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation, however, the trust was being held back by weak passwords being used by its 6,000 members of staff.

Password requirements for Cyber Essentials include shifting the password burden from users to technical systems.

The trust needed to ban them in order to show their commitment to cybersecurity so they turned to Specops for help. The solution was Specops Password Policy which helps enforce compliance requirements, block compromised passwords, and help users create stronger passwords in an active directory.

With Specops Password Policy the Trust was able to achieve their goal of blocking weak passwords while enjoying the added benefit of multiple policies and clear end-user feedback.

Read the case study below to find out more.