At IU, how can I keep my password secure?

The first step in keeping your password secure is to create a good one. For details, see Passwords and passphrases. After you've created a strong password, use the suggestions below to keep it safe:

• Never share your password with anyone: It is against university policy to do so. This includes family, friends, significant others, computer support people, and bosses. If you need someone to read your email, you can have that person do so without using your password by using the delegates feature in Outlook; see In Outlook for Windows, how do I make other users delegates so that they can send email on my behalf?
  
  
• Never save your password if prompted by your browser or any other programs: You can turn this option off in Internet Explorer; see Internet Explorer for Windows saves my password and other text I've entered. How do I make it stop? To remove a saved password, see In Internet Explorer 6 or 7, how do I remove a stored password or other stored information?, What is Firefox Password Manager?, or In Netscape Browser 8.x, how do I remove a stored password?
  
  
• Change your password at least every six months: For instructions to change or reset your Indiana University Network ID, see At IU, how do I change or synchronize my Network ID passphrase?
  
  
• Never send your password in email, even if the request looks official: Not only is it against university policy (see the first suggestion in this list), but such requests are most likely phishing attempts.
  
  
• Make your computer's administrative password and your IU Network ID different: Besides your IU Network ID, you should also have an administrative password for your computer, and the two should be different. For information about the administrative account, see On a computer, what are administrators and administrative rights? For instructions to set or change this password:
  
  
  • Windows: See In Windows 2000, XP, or Vista, how do I set the administrator password?
  • Mac OS X: See In Mac OS X, how do I password-protect my computer?
  • For Unix systems: Log in as a limited user and use the su or sudo command to run the command passwd root . For more information, read the man page on the passwd command.

Also see:

• What is the principle of least privilege?