It is important to maintain the confidentiality of your personal data in this connected world. Although the IT Security team works hard to keep you safe, it is everyone’s responsibility to look out for each other and yourselves.

Passwords are a great place to start. We use them for everything, such as accessing emails, social media, and our school account. The integrity of your account depends on the strength of your password and how well you protect it.

Don’t Reuse Passwords

Research has shown that passwords are likely to get reused across various platforms. When you reuse a password, you are increasing your chances that those accounts will be compromised.. When an account is involved in a data breach, the password should no longer be sued for any other accounts as it is publicly available on the internet for attackers. Attackers can then use that password and email address associated with a breach to attempt access to popular sites that may have used the same password and email address.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords make it harder for someone to guess your password. Determined hackers have an arsenal of methods to get access to your account, the most basic is resorting to things, like using software, to brute force attempts to guess the password. Liberty University requires passwords to be at least 10 characters long, upper- and lower-case letters, and have at least one number or symbol. The more complex the password is the better off you are.

Note: Some symbols are not permitted (eg. % , _ $ & ; ( ) [ ] { } ” ‘ ` * ? @ | \ ).

Don’t Make It Too Personal

Personal information can put the safety of your password at risk. Leave out personally identifiable information such as your name, date of birth, social security number, and etc. Come up with a phrase, quote, or song lyric to help you remember in addition to a few symbols here and there.