Use your smarts, and technology, to be cyber-secure – at home, at work, at uni or out in the world.
1. Check if you’ve already been involved in a data breach
Before you begin to put steps into place to protect yourself against cyber attacks, ensure you haven’t already unknowingly been the victim of one.
Visit haveibeenpwned.com and change those passwords for any accounts that it suggests may have been compromised.
Oh no – my data has been compromised! What should I do?
First things first – stay calm. It depends on the nature of the breach, but you may need to act quickly.
If only the username and password of an unimportant account has been stolen, that’s possibly a low-level concern. If your phone number has been released, then you’ll need to keep an eye and ear out for scams – be discerning of any calls or text messages coming from random numbers (or even allegedly ‘trusted’ numbers).
You should change the password for the affected account right away. If you use the same password for other accounts, or one that is similar, make sure you change them too.
Think about changing your passwords for:
- your bank accounts
- health and government services
- social media accounts.
And if changing a password triggers a prompt asking you to sign out of that account on all other devices, say yes.
2. Check the strength of your passwords
Test the strength of your passwords at howsecureismypassword.net (for an extra security measure, use something similar to your original password to test its strength).
When choosing a password, remember: the longer it is, the stronger it is. A strong password is at least 14 characters long and hard to guess.
Or upgrade your cyber security measures with a passphrase
Using a sentence – a passphrase – is a great way to create a long password that you’ll never forget.
Something like “RabbitCheesePencil#3Outlook” is easier to remember and is stronger than “D3nt@o9e” – just change the ‘Outlook’ part depending on what you’re logging into.
3. Avoid these passwords
The following passwords are considered the most common and easiest to crack – so if you’ve got any of these or similar variations, you should seriously consider changing them – quickly!
- 123456 (or any chronologically-ordered numbers)
- 987654321
- 123123
- QWERTY
- 111111
- Password
4. Use a password manager
Sick of trying to remember all your passwords, or having to change them every time you login?
Choose a password manager to securely store and make passwords for you. They’re very convenient as you only need to remember one master password after you set it up.
A password manager will help you create unique and complex passwords for your work and personal accounts. A PM also stores them securely within its system and enters them into websites as you login.
VU Cyber has partnered with Dashlane to provide VU students with a free password manager.
Dashlane stores your passwords and keeps them up-to-date across your:
- phone
- computers
- tablets
- other devices, including personally owned devices.
All VU students and staff have access to a free account.
5. Use multi-factor authentication
For an extra layer of security, consider using multi-factor authentication. Also known as two factor authentication, MFA and 2FA, it adds an extra layer of security for websites, so you can confirm who you say you are.
There are multiple ways you may be asked to prove your identity, but your phone is usually key. You may log into your bank software, to be prompted for a pin. Or get a request to use a MFA app such as Microsoft Authenticator when accessing your work emails.
See more information about [setting up and using MFA]( https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/facilities-services/it-services/online-s…).
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