October 20, 2009
Cybersecurity Awareness Month tip: Secure passwords
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, presented at Purdue since 2006, is part of a national public awareness campaign to encourage everyone to protect their computers and the nation’s critical cyber infrastructure. ITaP's Networks and Security unit will offer tips on protecting personal information throughout October.
This week's tip: Create complex passwords and change them often. Your password is your lock and key and one of the first ways you have to control your security and safety.
Passwords should use at least eight
characters and combine letters, numbers and symbols. Use different passwords for every online account.
Guard your passwords closely.Your Purdue Career Account unlocks the door to a number of services provided at Purdue. From simple things like checking your e-mail, to more important services
like checking your pay stub or signing up for classes, your Purdue Career Account gives you access to these services. That’s why it’s important for you to protect it and never share your password with anyone.
Never send a password in an e-mail. Not only is it bad security, it’s against University policy. If you need to write them down and you might if you have several accounts, keep them in a secure location away from your computer, or consider other tools that safely store and protect passwords like a password vault database.
For more on this, go to: www.purdue.edu/securepurdue/files/PasswordManagerSoftware.pdf