It's common for there to be a rise in password related cyber-attacks at the start of a new academic term, so make sure you鈥檙e taking extra steps to protect yourself and BU.
It can be tricky to remember lots of passwords, but the good news is you only need one password for most of your BU accounts - but that also means it's even more important to ensure that it鈥檚 secure:
- Set a strong password - Use a combination of random words, numbers and symbols, for example: 9MooseManilaCoffee13! For more tips on how to create a strong password, please visit the聽
- Do not reuse passwords - Create a unique password for each of your online accounts. If hackers gain access to one of your online accounts, it will make it difficult for them to access others
- Do not use you BU username/email to login to applications unrelated to your BU role - if you do need to use it (e.g. to get BU associated discounts) never use the same password as you do for your BU logins
- Beware of social engineering attacks聽鈥損hishing emails are intended to trick you into revealing passwords. If you receive a suspicious email, before clicking or following instructions within the email, give the IT Service Desk a call on 01202 9(65515)
- Avoid HTTP connections 鈥� Instead, type HTTPS ()聽in front of the web address to make sure you are connecting to the secured version of the website you are trying to login to. The 鈥楽鈥� stands for 鈥榮ecure鈥�. If that doesn鈥檛 work, avoid using the service or contact the IT Service Desk for some support
- Use a password manager聽- help yourself remember and organise complex passwords by saving them securely. To find out more about password managers, visit the聽聽(Keepass is available on AppsAnywhere for those on Windows 10 computers).
Keep your password safe
There are a number of things you can do to help reduce password related cyber-attacks:
顿辞苍鈥檛:
- Share your password 鈥� with anyone! BU鈥檚 IT Services will never ask for your password, if you are asked to disclose your password this may be an indication of someone trying to steal your credentials and you should report this to the IT Service Desk immediately
- Write it on a post-it/ in a notebook 鈥� this is not a secure storage method
- Store passwords on unprotected digital storage (e.g. in 鈥楴otes鈥� on your phone)
- Enter your password on an unsecured website (see 鈥楢void HTTP connections鈥� above).
Resetting your password
Regularly changing your BU password is one of the best ways to keep your private information safe. If you forget your password, most people contact IT Services to have it reset. To avoid having to do this in future, we encourage you to sign up to our where you can add in some security questions and answers now, so that you can online easily and quickly. You can find out more about resetting your password on our聽IT information pages.
Queries or concerns?
If you have any queries about password security, check out the or BU鈥檚 IT Security pages. If you would like to talk to someone or if you have any concerns about IT Security at BU, please contact the IT Service desk聽on 01202 9(65515), option 1 or freephone (or freephone聽08081 962332, or log a ticket on the .
