Security

Many problems can be caused by being careless with your IT account details. This can range from unauthorised persons accessing and using your account (eg people who have no connection with the University) through to matters that might have to be placed into the hands of the authorities.

For example, if your account was to be used by some unscrupulous person, or persons, for illegal purposes, this could reflect badly upon you and at best might involve you in having to answer difficult questions about things that you were unaware of. At worst, you could find yourself being held accountable for the misuse. View our pages covering the laws governing computer use to get an idea of the scale of the consequences you could face.

A few simple guidelines for keeping yourself and your information safe

• Keep your password safe! Your username and password to most systems at the University are the same, so keep it as safe and secure as you would your bank PIN – and if you’re one of those people who write their bank PIN down, keep it safer.
• Create a strong password - guidelines can be found on our passwords page.
• If you’re using a PC, and you need to leave it unattended for a moment, lock your screen by pressing CTRL + Alt + Delete and either selecting ‘lock computer’ or hitting enter. Get into the habit of doing this whenever you leave your computer, and logging out in the evening.
• Do not store your password in data, software or function keys (i.e. F1-F12), or write it down. Where administration passwords have to be recorded for Disaster Recovery purposes they must be kept secure.
• It is advisable to change your password every three months.
• Where Faculties/Schools or Services manage a number of ‘generic’ logon ID’s for specific tasks it is the responsibility of that Unit to manage the use of these and keep them secure.