security guidelines

Note: FAU will never send you an email asking you to verify personal information with your password or Social Security Number. Nor will they ask you to reset your account via e-mail link.

What you should do?

Keep your antivirus and operating system up to date.
Contact us if you receive a phishing e-mail. If you are not sure if an e-mail is legitimate, forward it to us and we will assist.
Set a strong password (uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and/or special characters make a password stronger).
Always do your best to protect your identity and all Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
Use anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses and other harmful programs (known as malware).
Use pop-up blockers in your Web browser to help protect yourself from spyware (be sure to allow pop-ups from FAU Web pages since MyFAU and Canvas use them).
Safe spyware software that you may want to use at no charge are:

What you should NOT do?

Never give out personal information (Social Security number, birthday, driver's license number, any account number or password, etc.) to anyone who asks for it online, especially via e-mail. It is very easy for people to send an e-mail that appears to be from FAU OIT staff, a bank or other institution as a means of obtaining sensitive information. This kind of activity is called phishing.
Do not click on links or any attachments in any suspicious e-mail.
Never put your personal information, even your birthday, on any online site, such as Facebook or Twitter.
Never make your password the word "password" or any other easily guessed words. These are the first keywords that a hacker will attempt to use.
Never give your passwords to anyone or allow someone to log in to your account. You could be held accountable if someone else's malicious activity is linked to you.
Never write your password and leave it in a place where someone will find it (such as taped to the bottom of your keyboard, computer, or monitor).