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Welcome Back Students

August 26th, 2009

Dear Students,

The Information Security Office (ISO) welcomes you to the 2009 - 2010 academic year. The ISO reminds you of the following safety tips, which will keep you safe online, and protect your data and computers:

  1. Change your Andrew account password often and use a strong passphrase. The ISO recommends changing your password once every 90 days. A strong password or passphrase consists of letters, numbers and symbols.  For more information on how to manage your Andrew account password, visit Managing Your Andrew Account Password at https://ww.cmu.edu/computing/doc/accounts/passwords/
  2. Never send your Andrew ID and password or other confidential information in an email or in response to an email. A request to do so is likely a phishing attempt.
  3. Update your personal machine anti-virus and anti-spyware regularly.
  4. Think before you click on attachments in email, instant messages, and untrusted Web sites. If you don't know the source, weren't expecting a message, or if a message/Website looks suspicious, do not click and ABSOLUTELY DO NOT PROVIDE ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION! Verify the request first with a phone call or an independent email. One bad click can infect your computer, launch attacks on others, and result in network suspension until your machine is disinfected.

  5. Adhere to Copyright & Intellectual Property Laws. Carnegie Mellon supports the fair usage of creative works.  At the same time, it is committed to protecting intellectual property and copyrights and takes a strong stance against any violation of these laws.  Non-compliance can result in disciplinary action or loss of network connectivity. This includes unauthorized sharing of music, movies, games and other files over a Peer-to-Peer network. For more information, visit:


The ISO encourages you to visit https://www.cmu.edu/iso/ often for security alerts, news, safe computing practices, training events and help with securing your computer.  As always, feel free to contact us at iso@andrew.cmu.edu with questions and comments. Have a great year!

Information Security Office
Computing Services
Carnegie Mellon University
https://www.cmu.edu/iso/