As the end of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) approaches, Campus Technology Services (CTS) wants to remind the campus about the initiatives below related to required password changes by today (Oct. 31) and a phishing identification contest.
While NCSAM is ending, education about staying safe online will continue throughout the year. Look for “CTS Cyberbits” articles published monthly in Oswego Today, workshops during the CELT-sponsored Winter Breakout, and information on the CTS Cybersecurity website.
If you are ever in doubt that an email, text message, and/or website is legitimate, always reach out to the CTS Help Desk at help@oswego.edu, 315.312.3456, or visit them in 26 Lanigan Hall during business hours.
New 16-character passwords
One way to stay safe online is to ensure you have a strong password. Passwords with at least 16 characters and a mix of alphanumeric and special characters are harder to hack. Campus Technology Services (CTS) started requiring 16-character passwords on Oct. 1.
To comply with the new policy, follow these steps:
Step 1: Log in to the Account Tools website and click on “Change Your Password.” Use the tips below to come up with a strong password.
Step 2: From the left navigation, click on “Security Question” to make sure you have a security question set in the event you forget your new password. Make sure not to set personally identifiable information as the answer to your security question.
If at any time you forget your new password, you can reset it at www.oswego.edu/reset as long as you complete step 2 above.
Step 3: Click the “Logout” button.
Here are some tips for creating your new password:
- Use a phrase that is at least 16 characters long to help you remember it.
- Use numbers, upper- and lowercase letters, and any of the following symbols: ! @ # $ % ^ & * + _ - , . and spaces.
- Make your SUNY Oswego password different from any other password you use online, including those used for personal sites.
- Don’t write the password down anywhere
Once your password is changed, you will need to re-login to some services using the updated password, including wifi service. More information is available on the CTS account management page.
CTS appreciates everyone’s efforts to make your SUNY Oswego account safer.
Phishing awareness
Today is the last day to participate in the CTS phishing identification contest. Use one or more of the following ways to participate and you’ll be entered into a contest for one of three $25 College Store gift cards.
Ways to enter the contest:
- Forward a phishing email received in your SUNY Oswego inbox (not the spam folder) to help@oswego.edu.
- Take the phishing quiz and see how good you are at identifying harder-than-usual phishing scams. Send your results to help@oswego.edu.
- Take an eight-minute LinkedIn Learning course and send your completed certification to help@oswego.edu.
The contest ends at 11:59 p.m. tonight, Oct. 31. Three winners will be randomly drawn and notified via email on Nov. 1.
-- Submitted by Campus Technology Services