You can get a paper copy at I.T. Express, in 182 Shields Library. Measures adopted to guarantee freedom or secrecy of action, communication, or the like. A secret word or phrase that one uses to gain admittance or access to information. Your password, your secret word or phrase, allows only you access to the University of California, Davis' computing resources. Like the key to your home's front door, it provides security, keeping out unwanted intruders.
Some analysts estimate that more than a million passwords have already been stolen.
It is often surprisingly easy to guess or steal passwords. Hackers can launch a dictionary attack by comparing your password with every word in a dictionary, foreign as well as English in a matter of minutes. But, as demonstrated by the questions above, a great deal of the responsibility for stolen passwords falls on users themselves. In addition to the old sticky note left on the computer screen, users willingly share passwords, send them via email or choose ones that are too predictable and easy to guess. When someone guesses or steals a password, they can conceivably access files, email messages, funds and personal information.