Increased Password Strength Enforcement is now Live!

New Tech Network is in the process of updating password security requirements for administrator and teacher accounts in Echo for the 2026-2027 school year.

As of August 17, 2026, all Echo Administrators and Teacher users will be required to change their passwords if they do not meet the minimum requirements before they can continue signing in. 

About the Change Password Window

When the Change password window appears, note that it asks for two different passwords:

• Current password — the password you are signing in with today
• New password — the new password you are creating

This is not a "type your new password twice to confirm" prompt. Entering the new password in both fields will not work. If you see the message The current password is required, the top field is the one to check.

If you don't remember your current password, cancel out of this window and use the standard password reset instead.

Verify that your password meets the requirements

When updating your password, the system checks whether the new password:

1. Meets the required level of password complexity
2. Has appeared in known password breach data

Use these indicators and the Tips to create a strong password when changing your password.

NTN does not require a specific password formula. Users can meet the requirement through length, unpredictability, character variety, or a combination of these.

For additional guidance, review NIST's password tips: How Do I Create a Good Password?

Your new password should show a Strong indicator and include no warnings that the chosen password appears in lists of compromised passwords. If either of these conditions are not met, the password will not be accepted.

Why we're making this change

Compromised or easy-to-guess passwords can put administrator and teacher accounts at risk. This update helps reduce that risk by preventing the use of passwords that are known to be unsafe or do not meet current security standards. Because students range in age and access needs, student password policy requirements will continue to be managed at the domain level.

Please reach out to NTN Support with any questions.