Personal information

Protecting your personal information

Your password is all that stands between your data and the world. Not sharing your password is the single most important measure you can take to protect sensitive College information and your personal data.

If another person has your password, they can use your computer to impersonate you. For staff at RRC Polytech, this extends far beyond simply reading your email. It includes sending email as you, gaining access to sensitive financial or health information, and changing the information about the bank account where the College sends your funds.

Employee and student passwords are confidential, and sharing passwords is a violation of College policy. Actions performed with a User ID are the responsibility of the individual to whom it is assigned. For your protection, evidence of a compromised password or other inappropriate use of a User ID can result in the deactivation of your User ID.

Guidelines for Password Protection

The following guidelines will help protect your password:

• DO NOT share your password with coworkers, friends, or relatives.
• DO NOT share your password with IT Solutions employees, unless absolutely necessary in the course of account maintenance or troubleshooting. After the work is complete, change your password.
• Change your password frequently to reduce the chance of it being used by someone else. A good rule of thumb is to change your password once a month.
• DO NOT write your password on a sticky note, notepad, or anything stored in or around your monitor or desk.
• DO NOT store your password in unencrypted or plain text files on your computer.
• DO NOT let others watch you type your password.
• DO NOT record or send your passwords to anyone, yourself included, in an email or on unsecured webpages.
• DO NOT use easy‑to‑guess words or phrases as a part of your password. This includes your name, spouse’s name, pet’s name, home address, employer’s name, a favorite singer’s or artist’s name, any family member’s name or birthday, and so on.
• If possible, avoid using words that can be found in a dictionary as part of your password. This includes using dictionary words with letters replaced with special characters (e.g., “@” for “a”, “3” for “e” or “E”, “!” or “1” for “I” or “i”, etc.).
• DO NOT walk away from your computer (for instance in a computer lab or library) until you are certain that you have logged off or locked computer access.
• If you must leave your workstation logged on, use a password protected screen saver on your workstation to prevent unauthorized access while you are away from your computer.
• BE ALERT for IT Security announcements regarding security issues.

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