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IT Security Roundtable Jan. 15: Help, passwords are driving me crazy!

It’s time once again to change your eID password so what better topic for this month’s IT security roundtable than managing your passwords. For online shopping, social networking sites, games, iTunes, PayPal, travel sites (frequent flyer accounts, Expedia, Orbitz, etc.), online banking (checking, savings, credit cards, loans), news and sports sites, blogs and wikis, cellphone account, home Internet provider, cable/satellite TV, your home computer, your laptop, your office computer, your departmental server, K-State’s eID, personal e-mail, K-State e-mail, flexible spending accounts… the list keeps growing. And all of them require a username and password. It’s enough to drive you crazy!

To help maintain your sanity, join us 9-10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 15, in Union 213 to hear solutions to effectively manage your passwords:

  • Tools and tips to manage passwords for myriad accounts and websites
  • Of all the passwords, which ones do you really need to worry about?
  • What are the real threats to passwords? Aren’t all these rules about passwords the result of the hyped-up fantasy of paranoid IT security officers?
  • Password/passcode/passphrase/PIN – what’s the difference?
  • What’s the big deal about your eID password? We’ll review recent security incidents at K-State that underscore the need to protect your eID password and change it regularly.
  • What are the password rules at K-State and why do the rules keep changing? Are longer passwords really better?
  • Should you let your web browser or computer save passwords so you don’t have to type them every time?
  • Why does your online bank account keep asking separate “security questions” when you try to sign in? Are they important?

Harvard Townsend, K-State’s chief information security officer, will facilitate the discussion. Come learn and share your tips and tricks so all can benefit from the collective wisdom. As always, the IT security roundtable is sponsored by SIRT and open to anyone.

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About Harvard Townsend (harv@ksu.edu)

Chief Information Security Officer