While we want to help out our fellow students and show our partners that we are trustworthy, your MRU username and password protect your personal information. Just think of all the places that you use those credentials. While you might be willing to help someone get access to course assignments, I am pretty sure you don't want them accessing EVERYTHING else those credentials give them access to. If someone is asking you for your login information, direct them to the Service Desk at 403-440-6000 to get their own access sorted.

As for significant others if they are insisting on having your login credentials to generate trust and closeness, let them know it is against University policy. If they continue to push, contact Student Counselling for additional guidance. 

If you have shared your credentials already, change your password immediately and check your accounts to ensure everything is in order. 

While it may be inconvenient to use your MRU email to communicate with your professor, fellow students or the University; it makes it easier for people to verify your identify. In today's world where people receive malicious emails every day, it can be difficult to know who is a student and who is an attacker pretending to be a student. When you use your MRU email , the recipient knows they are dealing with a student. In addition, all official communications sent out by the University will come to your MRU email address. If you use it regularly, there is less of a chance you will miss an important notice. In addition, if you only use your MRU email for MRU related communications, the odds that you will recieve a malicious email are reduced. If it isn't sitting on an external email list, then attackers won't be able to access it.

Multifactor authentication secures your account even if your password is compromised. With multifactor authentication, once you enter your password, you are asked for a second factor to verify that you own the account. The second factor could be a text message sent to your phone, a code from an authentication app or pushing the button on an authentication key. Mulifactor authentication is so successful at preventing unauthorized account access that cyberinsurance permiums are lower for those organizations who mandate it. While it is not yet mandatory at MRU, we are working towards implementing it. To ensure that you are ready for this eventuality, we strongly suggest you enable mulitfactor authentication on your Mount Royal email account. You can find instructions on how to do that on the Cybersecurity Hub. 

It can be extremely challenging to create a new password everytime you create a new account. As a result, most people reuse passwords. While this is convenient, it is dangerous. If someone steals the login credentials from an account provider, they can then access all the accounts that use the same username and password. Password managers eliminate that risk by generating unique passwords and storing them for you. You only need to create and rremember the password for the password manager.

Attackers know common letter substitutions. When it comes to creating a strong password, the most important thing is its length. The longer it is, the more secure it is. Use three random words or come up with a sentence that only makes sense to you. Then insert a number in the middle of each word so it can't be found in the dictionary. Capitalize a couple of letters and you will have a strong secure password that you can remember. 

Every Friday Information Technology Services puts out the Cybersecurity Newsletter. This short newsletter contains articles about the latest cybersecurity threats and how to protect yourself. To subscribe visit the Cybersecurity Hub. You can also visit the newsletter archives and access past issues. 

October is cybersecurity awareness month. Every year we hold activites, talks and contests to celebrate. Check the Cybersecurity Hub in October to see what is planned. It is a great way to win prizes and learn how to stay cybersafe.