More
detailed information appears below.
Your
password is the first line of defense protecting
you and your data from identity thieves, nosy
associates, practical jokers, over-the-top
competitors, and others who didn't learn everything
they should have in kindergarten about how
to treat their fellow humans. There are just
a few basic principles to keep in mind when
choosing and using passwords:
1.
Choose a password that is easy for you to
remember but hard for others to guess.
Among other things, that means not using your
name, your pet's name, your birthdate, your
license plate, or other personal information
that others know. Don't use a word that could
be found in a dictionary (and I don't mean
just English dictionaries). Do include numerals
and other symbols (e.g., !@#*?). If you have
a favorite song or book that has at least
six words in the title, you could make a password
using the first letter from each word. If
the title is short, add the writer's initials
at the beginning or the end, separated from
the title by one of those !@#*? symbols. (Pardon
my language.) If you do choose your password
well then you won't need to violate the next
principle.
2.
Never write down your password. You should
especially avoid writing it down on a little
sticker attached to your computer or the wall
over your desk. If you choose your password
properly, it will be easy for you to remember
(see Rule1) and won't need to be written down.
Of course, you may sometimes be tempted to
eliminate the step of writing the password
down by simply telling someone else what your
password is. This leads to the next principle.
3.
Never give your password to someone else.
This is not just a good idea; it's the law.
Or, at least, it's one of the things that
you accepted in agreeing to the Willamette
Acceptable Use Policy presented to you at
the time that your network identification
was created. You may not permit others to
use your network account. (You did read the
policy, didn't you?)
4.
Change your password occasionally. Changing
your password will help protect you against
those lapses when you did write down your
password or revealed it to someone else. Your
Willamette password can be changed easily
by visiting our web
page devoted to password change.
Finally,
remember that password protection for computer
resources is like a lock on a door. Just as
you should lock your room or your car when
you leave it, you should lock your computer
account when you stop using it:
5.
Log out of a computer before leaving it, even
for a short time. This is especially true
in the public computer labs, where failing
to log out may permit the next user of the
same computer to read, alter, or delete your
e-mail or files in your network folder, deliberately
or inadvertently. But it's a good idea even
for the computer in your room, since logging
out also ensures that your recent work is
saved and thus better protected from a variety
of mishaps that can cause unsaved work to
be lost.
6.
Don't configure your computer to save your
password. This would be like removing
the locks from your doors altogether. Or,
perhaps, like writing your password down on
a tiny little sticker on your computer. Anyone
who can get to your computer can come on in
and make themselves at home. This is one case
where you really don't want to be so hospitable.
Having to type your password frequently is
a minor inconvenience. Having to recover from
identity theft or recreate lost work is a
major pain.
