Breaking up is hard to do, but it was especially hard for Allison, a junior at Penn State. On the last day of classes, she found out from her favorite professor that she wasn't scheduled for the section of the class in which he taught the next semester. "How can this be?" she wondered. Perplexed, Allison went back to her apartment to check her schedule via eLion. Sure enough, she wasn't in her favorite professor's class—and as a matter of fact, she wasn't scheduled for any classes. Then it dawned on her. She remembered that she shared her Penn State Access Account password with her now ex-boyfriend. She knew he wasn't happy when they broke off the relationship, but this really made it clear. "The preceding story illustrates how important it is for students, faculty and staff at Penn State to change their passwords on a regular basis—and never share them with anyone," explained Kathy Kimball, director of Security Operation Services at Penn State. "Good personal digital identity management means using your Penn State Access Account, and therefore your User ID and password, responsibly in all electronic interactions."
To learn more about effective digital identity practices, see the following:
The above story illustrates real-life digital identity situations that have occurred at Penn State or other universities around the country. Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.
You should change your password at least once a year, or more frequently as needed to maintain password security. Learn more.
Need help thinking of a new strong password? Read password best practices for tips.