Passwords are the primary defence against thieves and hackers.
Love them or hate them, passwords have become part of daily life, says Kevin Macnaughton, team leader security in Information Technology Services.
“They are our primary defence against account compromise by thieves and hackers,” he says. “Having a weak password is almost worse than having no password at all — like a faulty lock or a faulty seatbelt.”
He lists two fundamental password practices for securing personal and work lives from hackers:
- Use unique passwords for every website or system that you use.
- Change your passwords regularly not only at work, but in your personal life as well.
To make easy work of managing your passwords, IT Services recommends using a password manager, such as KeePass. Multifactor Authentication, which increases account security when away from campus, is also available.
Users can sign up with IT Services in advance of a campus-wide roll out. More information on these tools and password management in general is available on the Password Management page of the cybersecurity website.
Led by IT Services, Cybersecurity Awareness Month initiatives highlight cybersecurity issues relevant to the UWindsor community. More information, along with how you can protect yourself, can be found at uwindsor.ca/cybersecurity. This website will be updated regularly with best practices and current threats.