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What is the situation?

Most of us keep a great deal of personal information online, which makes it important that we practice smart computing to avoid identity theft, hacking and viruses.

What should I do?

Protecting your information:

  • Never share your NetID password or network password.
  • When using a public or classroom computer, always completely log out of the web browser and computer when you are finished.
  • Keep operating systems and applications up to date by applying all critical software patches.
  • Use anti-virus software and keep it updated to protect against the latest threats.
  • Use strong passwords with a combination of letters, numbers and special characters, and change passwords regularly. Avoid using the same password for multiple websites, accounts and applications.
  • Before clicking on any links within an email, verify that the email is from a sender that you know and trust. Even if the sender appears to be someone you know, if the email seems suspicious or unusual, contact the person directly to ensure they really sent it.
  • Never provide secure information such as passwords, account numbers or social security numbers via email or over the phone unless you initiated the contact.
  • Look for the lock icon and https:// prefix when logging in or entering sensitive information on web pages.
  • Use the privacy and security settings on social networks to control who sees what you post.
  • Back up data on a regular basis and purge data that you are no longer required to keep.