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Practice Safe Computing

Computing and network technologies are a big part of everyday life. Here are some tips on network safety that can keep you from becoming a victim online.

Beware of fraudulent email "phishing" scams

A phishing scam is an email fraud in which the perpetrator sends legitimate-looking emails that appear to come from a well-known and trustworthy website in an attempt to gather personal and financial information from a recipient. There are two types of phishing scams. The first type asks you to respond to an email with your account password or Social Security number in order to prevent immediate closure of your bank account, email account, or other service. The second type of scam asks you to click on a link to a fake site and log in with your password to verify your account.

To help you identify when you have received a fraudulent email, NSIT maintains a phishing website to help you identify potential scams. It contains examples of phishing scams, tips for determining whether an email is legitimate and identifying fake URLs, and a link to a fun interactive game. Visit our Phishing site.

Protect yourself with a good password

We all know how important it is to choose good passwords to make sure no one gets access to our private information.

Here are some tips on how to choose a good password:

  • Avoid using dictionary words and names in any form
  • Don't use common misspellings of dictionary words
  • Don't use the name of the computer or your account
  • Don't use sample passwords
  • Avoid passwords composed of all numbers or all letters
  • A password should be between 8 and 16 characters
  • Make sure you have a different password for different sites
  • Choose a password you'll remember by using letters from a phrase or song lyric, or combining a few pronounceable nonsense" words with punctuation
Here are some tips on how to keep your passwords secure:
  • Never share your password with anyone!
  • Avoid using non-secure networks.
  • Change your password after using a non-secure network.
  • Change your password after traveling abroad.
  • Change your password once a year.
  • Never store your password in a program.
  • Never write down your password.

For more information about how to choose a good password and how to keep it secure, see the Choosing a Good Password and Keeping Your Password Secure tip sheets.

To change your CNet password or question/answer set, visit http://cnet.uchicago.edu.

Be cautious when using a public computer

Use public networks with caution. Don't conduct private transactions on non-secure or public networks-like those at internet cafés or random connections you may pick up. Hackers can use software to remotely record your keystrokes in order to retrieve your private information.

Don't be an enabler

In addition to practicing safe computing for yourself, help protect others as well. For example, protect sensitive data, don't share copyrighted material, disable peer-to-peer filesharing on your computer, and read and follow the University's information technology policies.

To learn about other tips for safe computing, visit NSIT's Safe Computing site.


For additional assistance, please email support@uchicago.edu or call 4-TECH


View a printable PDF of this Tip Sheet.

 

Last updated: 8/25/08