How to keep your passphrase secure
Important: No one at IU (including UITS), or anywhere else, should ask for your passphrase for any reason, whether in person or via phone, chat, email, or online in any way. If you doubt the authenticity of any email message or web site, or worry about your IT accounts, contact the Support Center as soon as possible.
The first step in keeping your passphrase secure is to create a good one. For details, see Passwords and passphrases. After you've created a strong password:
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Never share your passphrase with anyone: It is
against university policy to do so. This includes family, friends,
significant others, computer support people, vendors, outside web
sites or applications, and bosses. If you need someone to read your
email, that person can do so without 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?
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Never save your password if prompted by your browser or
any other programs: You can turn this option off in most
browsers; check the browser help for instructions.
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Change your password at least every six months:
For instructions to change or reset your Indiana University
Network ID, see Changing your passphrase
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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 About your device's administrator account.
