Accounts

How do I create an account?

To create a list account all you have to do is subscribe to a list. To subscribe, send mail to listname-subscribe@lists.riseup.net, where listname is the name of the list you want to subscribe to.

Alternately, you can fill out the account creation form.

When you create an account, Sympa (the mail list software we use) creates a random password and mails it to your email address. This prevents others from subscribing you without your permission and verifies that your address is real. You should change the random password as soon as possible to a password which you can remember.

Note that the accounts for lists at lists.riseup.net are completely different from email accounts at riseup.net.

How do I change my password?

Login using your full email address and password, then click the Preferences link near the top of the page. There you will find a form for changing your password.

I forgot my password!

Fill out the password reminder form. Your password will be sent to the email address you specify.

I don’t have a password!

If someone else subscribed you to a list, it is possible that you do not have a password. Fill out the new password form. A temporary password will be sent to the email address you specify, along with directions for changing it.

How do I change my subscription address?

To change the email address which you use to subscribe to all riseup.net list, follow these steps:

  1. Login using your current address at lists.riseup.net
  2. Click the Preferences link.
  3. Where is says Email: fill in your new email address and click Save.

NOTE: You do not want to use this form if you are a list owner or moderator. It will result in you losing ownership of your lists! Roughly, follow these steps instead:

  1. add the new address as an additional owner
  2. follow the steps above to change your subscription email address
  3. remove the old address from being a list owner.

See the List Definition page for information on how to do this.

How do I pick a good password?

Because passwords are almost always the weakest link in any security system where they are used, the first step to better security is better password practice.

Things to avoid:

  • Don’t pick a dictionary word or a proper noun! Passwords are often easy to crack because most people pick a password that is a variation on a word in the dictionary. There are simply not that many words in human languages: it is trivial for a computer to try them all! This includes words where you have replaced some letters with numbers. For example, “L0V3” is just as easy to crack as “LOVE”.
  • Don’t use the same password for all your accounts. Also, it can be better to write down your passwords in a secure place rather than use the same one everywhere.
  • Don’t forget to change your password. You should change your password at least once a year.
  • Never tell anyone your password, especially if they ask for it.

How do you create a password that is strong and yet easy to remember? This can be really tough. There are three generally approved methods:

1. Use a password storage locker

Don’t try to remember passwords. Instead, generate random passwords for all the different services and websites you use, and store them in a secure password locker.

2. Passwords

  1. Start with multiple words you can easily remember.
  2. Convert these words to non-words (for example, by taking the first letter of each word).
  3. Add a few random uppercase letters, numbers, or symbols, and you are done.

For example:

You could turn “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” into “trwNbt” and then add a few random characters for “trwNbt!42”.

3. Passphrases

  1. Pick a few random words you can easily remember. Mixing in words from different languages and non-dictionary words is a good idea.
  2. String these together into a long passphrase. This will be longer, but easier to type.

For example: