Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Is your password secure?

Whether it be for employment, finance or recreation, you’ve likely accumulated a proliferation of accounts and passwords. 

It can make it tempting to adopt habits that reduce the security of your protected information. Some people choose a simple password — their date of birth, a pet’s name or another easily discovered piece of personal information. Others resort to writing their passwords on a piece of paper or reusing the same password for several different accounts. 

Strong and unique passwords are key to online security and privacy. Financial fraud or identity theft is often the result of hackers guessing simple and commonly used passwords.  

Can you beat this week’s Cybersecurity game? Test your skills by solving the cybersecurity crossword puzzle. The first ten people to complete the game win a swag box! Submit contest answers to ia-edawareness@umich.edu.

Password tips

• Private: Never share your password
• Long: At least nine or more characters
• Easy to remember: Use a passphrase or a sequence of multiple unrelated words
• Secure: Use two-factor authentication to add an additional layer of security
• Unique: Choose strong, unique passwords for each site or service you use

Coming soon: Password Manager

Michigan Medicine will soon introduce a password manager software called LastPass to encourage good password practices. Watch for more information later this year.

Learn more 

Take two minutes to view the Cyber Safety poster. Print, display and share the posters with your colleagues!

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Each week, Michigan Medicine’s Information Assurance team will highlight a different aspect of Cybersecurity. The IA team will be organizing a variety of games and activities with a chance to win some great prizes! Visit National Cybersecurity Awareness Month for more information.