General Tips and Guidelines

Protecting Your Identity and Personal Property

Here are 10 tips that will help you protect your identity and personal property.

1. Never share your username, password or Kent State ID number or use the same username/password on other websites.
2. Always lock your computer and mobile phone with a password or passcode, and never share your computer with others.
3. Always lock your room whenever you’re away. Buy a computer lock or anti-theft software.
4. Never leave your computer unattended in public areas, even for a few minutes.
5. Always keep beverages away from your computer. One spill could cost you hundreds of dollars.
6. Always sign out of your email, FlashLine and any other websites, and other computers, especially lab/public machines.
7. Always be aware of phishing emails. Always hover and check if a link is valid before clicking.
8. Always uncheck any boxes that say “Remember Me” when using a public computer.
9. Always back up your important documents and photos. You can use your Kent State Google Drive.
10. Always reboot public computers before and after using them.

International Travel Tips for Faculty and Staff Members

Several countries are considered to have a higher risk associated with them for identity and data security than most other countries. There are several steps that you and your department's local support/AFS members should take to ensure you have safe travels. This document suggests items that Kent State University's Office of Security and Access Management strongly encourages you to complete to help make your trip easier, but most importantly, safer for you and your data.

General Security Reminders

• Use a strong password to help prevent your account from being hacked. A strong password is at least 8 characters long and contains a lower and upper case letters, numbers, and special characters. Read more about strong passwords.
• Keep a "Clean Desk Policy":
  • Do not write passwords down for somebody to find if they were to go digging through your desk.
  • Make sure all papers and removable media with confidential or sensitive information is locked away before leaving your desk.
  • Make sure to lock your computer before walking away, even if it is just for a brief moment.
• Keep software up to date. Malware usually takes advantage of human error and technical weaknesses. When technical weaknesses are found, patches are implemented to eliminate them. Keeping your operating system and software will help prevent malware from taking advantage of those weaknesses.
• Be wary of displaying sensitive information on your screen when in public places. It's possible that somebody could be reading over your shoulder (shoulder surfing).