Securing Account Information

Create a strong login credential

• Keep your password and user name confidential and store them securely
• Use a unique user name and password that can be easily remembered, but difficult for others to guess
• Never share your passwords with anyone
• Choose a password that is at least eight characters long and use uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols
• Combine two or more words or abbreviations with numbers and symbols; for example, “cpu3-4chip”
• Remove vowels from a phrase and add numbers; for example use “I love dogs” to derive “Il0v3d0g5”
• Abbreviate a favorite phrase; for example, use “Bob drives 20 miles to work to fetch a pail of water” to create “Bd20mtwtfapow”
• Use the “license plate rule.” Take a phrase and try to squeeze it into eight characters, as if you wanted to put it on a vanity license plate
• Develop appropriate security questions
• Use different combinations of questions, such as hobbies or leisure activities, sports played as a child, first car, favorite pet’s name, grandmother’s maiden name, and change the questions for different accounts
• Choose questions you can answer consistently
• Avoid using easily available information—like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security Number, or your phone number
• Avoid using any information you may have shared on a social network website such as Facebook
• Never use profanity

Take reasonable precautions to protect your information

• Check that a website is using encryption before entering personal information. Sites with an address beginning 'https' use encryption to protect information as it travels to their server
• Use caution when connected to public Wi-Fi networks, which may not be secure. Avoid sending personal or financial information when connected to a public network.  When you've finished your transaction, log out of the website immediately
• Social networks like Facebook may inadvertently share information that’s important to you. 52 percent of social-network users post their full birth date, home addresses, vacation plans or other personal information. This information can be used to compromise your password or to gain access to your accounts
• Adjust the privacy settings on your account on Facebook (and other social network sites) to help protect your personal information

Protect your computer

• Ensure your operating system is up-to-date with the latest critical patches. Most modern operating systems (e.g., Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X and iOS) will automatically install the latest security patches
• Install and keep your anti-virus software current. Most anti-virus software is set up to automatically update
• Use a personal firewall software program and keep it turned on
• Install anti-spyware software from a trusted vendor
• Be careful what you download from an email or from the Internet. Some email attachments can circumvent even the best anti-virus software
• When traveling in a car with your laptop or tablet, always put these devices in your trunk before you leave—not after you arrive
• Be aware of emails or web site pop-ups that claim they’ve scanned your computer and found viruses. Their offer to “clean your computer” for a small price is usually a scam to actually install malware on your computer

Additional Resources
Identify Theft Protection
Privacy Policy & Customer Data Access