This action is vital because a compromised account could turn a student's successful semester into a nightmare by unveiling personal information and threatening the security of papers and coursework stored on the student's Institutional File System space. Given the dangers of unsafe passwords, students should take heed of the division's warnings and guard themselves and their work. Starting this month, ITD will scan student and faculty passwords for those deemed vulnerable to hacking programs and then warn the user. If the password is not changed after three weeks, ITD officials will replace it with a random alternative password. Although this action might appear drastic, it will deliver a fraction of the grief that the user would endure if his or her account were broken into.
Hackers can use stolen passwords to harass or threaten someone using someone else's name.
Before the user is able to detect the problem, his or her personal information, class schedule and e-mail correspondence could be accessed abused. It is important that ITD take this situation seriously and protect the University community from harm. Students need to take the division's warnings seriously and quickly change their password to ensure their personal security. Failing to act quickly would necessitate a visit to the ITD accounts' office. While this may be a hassle, it could instill a better understanding of the necessity of protecting digital information.