Don't pay for a hacker's next dream vacation in the Caribbean. Imagine opening your mailbox to find thousands of dollars of expenses, from far away places, on your next credit card statement. Too bad someone else had a lot of fun at the expense of another. This is exactly what happened to Bob two years ago, and the headaches haven't stopped. Once in good credit standing, he now is slowly rebuilding his good name. Although malicious individuals sometimes probe for personal information in garbage cans or mailboxes, in this case, the hacker simply cracked into Bob's computer account and stole confidential information. Since Bob chose a very weak password for his online banking and credit card statement (he named it after a favorite pet) he made it all too easy for any hacker on the street to figure it out. "The above story demonstrates how important it is to create a strong password and become familiar with it," said Kathy Kimball, director of Security Operation Services at Penn State. "It's also very important to protect your computer and your files with antivirus software, security updates and firewall technology. If you suspect your password has been compromised, change it immediately at https://www.work.psu.edu/password/ online." It's also important to use different passwords for non-University services such as banks or stores—reserve your Penn State Access Account User ID and password for Penn State systems and services.
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 reserve your Penn State Access Account User ID and password for Penn State systems and services only. Learn more.
To avoid disruption of access to Penn State systems and services, change your password before it expires. Here's how.