Recent news stories have highlighted a data breach called “Collection #1.” “Collection #1” has exposed 773 million unique email accounts and 21 million unique passwords. Initial reports indicate this data is several years old. If you are interested in a detailed analysis of the accounts, please visit Troy Hunt’s article for more information:
https://www.troyhunt.com/the-773-million-record-collection-1-data-reach/
Now is a good time to verify that you are following best practices for all your Gustavus and personal accounts. Listed below are a few important steps you can take to help protect your accounts and yourself from data breaches.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Activate two-factor or multi-factor authentication on all of your accounts. This can include anything from your bank account login to facebook. Two-factor authentication provides an additional layer of protection that will help limit the exposure and damage from any breach. At Gustavus, user accounts are required to use DUO two-factor authentication. Learn more about two-factor authentication by visiting the link below:
https://gustavus.edu/gts/Duo_Two_Factor_Authentication#Why_enroll_in_two-factor_authentication.3F
Select Unique Passwords
Do not share or reuse passwords between different accounts. Always use unique, strong passwords for all of your accounts. We recommend using a password manager such as LastPass which will generate and store unique, complex, and long passwords for your accounts. Learn more about creating strong passwords by visiting the link below:
https://gustavus.edu/gts/Password#Creating_Strong_Passwords
Check Your Accounts
A breach at one site, may lead to a compromise at another. Protecting email account access is very important, as they are typically linked to multiple other accounts with password recovery and reset options.
Check to see if any of your accounts appear in recent data leaks by visiting the link below:
https://gustavus.edu/account/checkBreaches
A locked door isn’t effective if you leave the keys under the mat. By following the simple but important steps above on all of your accounts, you will be better protected from the affects of a data breach.
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