Password Safety

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Password safety is important when it comes to protecting your data and personal information. Creating unique passwords is good for security, but makes keeping track of your passwords particularly difficult.

Do any of the following apply to you?

There are a number of ways to have your computer remember your passwords, but most of them are not secure! Follow our guidelines below for managing your passwords.

Note: User account passwords are pointless if your computer automatically logins or you leave your computer logged in and unattended. To protect your data, disable auto-login and password protect your screen saver.

Creating Passwords

Passwords you create should be a minimum of 8 characters in length and contain a combination of letters, numbers, special characters, upper and lower case, and not be a word in the English dictionary. The more characters you use and the more variety of character types, the stronger your password will be. One simple and effective technique is to use a combination of a word and some random characters.

To protect your personal information, create a different password for each account you use--computer login, email, network services, financial institutions, etc.

Avoid writing down passwords or checking the "remember my password" button with programs. It can be difficult to remember various passwords, so you may find it helpful to use a password management program.

For additional questions about keeping your computer safe from attack, contact IT Services.