Password Habits Teachers Should Break

    Every Tuesday I share a Tech Tip on our social media pages to assist our staff in their use of technology as it relates to their role. As October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, all of the tips shared this month will tackle common cyber security concerns (both student-related and work-place related).

You can check out the other Cyber Security Awareness Month posts here:

• Has my account been compromised?

Last week’s Tech Tip Tuesday shared how to check if your email address has been used on any websites where there has been a security breach. If this check reveals that your information may have been compromised it is a very good time for a password change. However, I recommend that your passwords be changed every 6-12 months regardless. Today’s post is focused on tips and tricks involved in strong password development as well as some habits we need to break as educators.

Password Development Tips/Tricks

• DO
  • 7-10 characters in length
  • unique phrase/combination
  • varied characters (letters, numbers, special characters)
  • two factor authentication where possible
  • store important passwords in a secure location like a safety deposit box in the event of accident
• DON’T
  • use character series (123 or ABC)
  • personal info (birthdays, anniversaries, addresses)
  • use single words
  • reuse passwords between accounts

Password Habits Teachers Should Break

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Are you modelling appropriate password use in your classroom? Here’s some common habits I think we should break #mvsd_mb #cybersecurity
 
A post shared by  Kirsten Thompson - ICT (@thompsonclassroom) on Oct 13, 2020 at 9:17am PDT
 

When is the last time you’ve changed your password? Do you feel your current passwords meet the outlined criteria?