Protect Yourself!
Have you noticed the colorful NSIT fliers posted across campus offering helpful tips on University computing? NSIT is interested in ensuring that all members of the University community engage in safe, stable computing practices that will guarantee the security of each member's personal accounts and information. We want to make sure that you don't leave yourself vulnerable to unauthorized access of your email, cMore, or even Facebook accounts.
Be sure to log out every time you access your personal accounts, especially when using public access computers at the Reynolds Club, the library or any other shared machine on campus. If you are using a computer that requires you to log in using your CNetID and password, log out completely when you are done using it in order to make sure that the next user does not have admittance to your browsing history or any other account that you accessed during your session. Safe computing is smart and protects you from lurkers seeking to compromise your personal information.
Choosing a Password
An important aspect of computer security is choosing an appropriate password. Choosing a good one can be difficult: the password should be fairly long and shouldn't be guessable, but at the same time it should be easy to remember.
Avoid using dictionary words, names or obvious choices such as your birthday or street address. Passwords should be a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and other characters. Try using a password that creatively alters a word or inserts numbers between letters, not simply at the end of a word. Also, you should never use the same password for all of your services and accounts. Strong, complex passwords help protect you and the University.
For more information on choosing a password, visit NSIT's password selection tips page.
For information on safe computing practices, visit http://safecomputing.uchicago.edu.
Last updated: 2/19/08