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Computation and Cyber Security Division
Computation and Cyber Security Division
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הגן על המידע האישי שלך

Protect your personal information

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Types of identity theft

There are at least five common ways for hostile parties to access and use your personal data:

  • Providing personal information through phishing or voice phishing
  • Providing personal information in chat rooms, forums, and so on.
  • Browsing infected sites
  • Your computer or storage devices have been stolen or lost.
  • Disposal of personal documents without shredding.

How do I keep my identity?​

  • Keep passwords secret, always use strong passwords, and never use your BGU password for personal accounts not within university applications.
  • There is no need to disclose information such as your birth date, mother's maiden name, favorite pet name, and so on the Internet - these questions are often used in basic security questions.
  • When you forget details of online accounts as proof of identity, do not give out any personal information online, especially on social networking sites.
  • Note the email and information you transmit with instant messaging software, beware of phishing scams.
  • Make sure that all the computers you use are up-to-date with security updates and anti-virus software
  • Keep your computer hardware and storage from theft.
  • When you replace your computer hardware, make sure you've taken all of your personal information.
  • You can also use two-factor authentication (also known as 2FA) or Multi-factor authentication on sites or applications that support it.​

Password Guidelines

  • The Computation Center creates credentials (login, password) for all computing resources for all students and staff.  These credentials include an initial password.
  • All students and faculty using these credentials must comply with
    the following password guidelines:
  • When you receive the credentials, you must replace the initial password with a personal password.
  • The password is personal and should not be passed on to anyone else - it should not be transferred to a student or other faculty member at the university or outside it. Please note that passing a password to another person is a disciplinary offense.
  • Any misuse of a user's credentials of computing resources, even if performed by another person who has received the password, will be deemed to have been committed by the user himself.
  • If you have completed your work at any computing resource that required identification, make sure that you log out of your user account (Log Off) from that computing resource.
  • It is recommended that you change your password every 3 months. You must change it at least once a year.
  • These rules are clarifications and are not replacing or modifying the guidelines as defined at the university regulation.

Using a weak, easily guessable password is not a wise move. Remember, there are many applications that can create and test millions of passwords per hour. Even strong passwords can be hacked, but they make it harder for crackers.

  • Do you write your passwords down or store them on your computer in plain text, such as Notepad or Word?
  • Do you choose "Yes" when applications ask you if you want them to remember your passwords for you?
  • Are you sharing your passwords with your colleagues?
  • Do you choose the same password for each account?
  • Do you use your university password for non-university accounts?
  • Do you use easy to crack passwords such as your pet name, mother name, partner's name, etc.?
  • Do you use phone numbers, social security number, etc.?
  • Do you use initials or common patterns, such as uob, abcde, QWERTY, or 12345, or words in dictionaries?

If you answered yes to even one, your account is a target for identity theft. Keep in mind that you will never have to discover the BGU account password or use it for non-BGU accounts.

  • The password must be at least 8 characters, but not more than 24 characters.
  • Include a combination of uppercase letters, capital letters, numbers, and special characters, for example: ! @ # $% ^ & * () _ + | ~ - = \ '{} []: ";' </ A>,. /
  • Create a password that is easy for you to remember, but impossible for someone else to guess.
  • If you have a slight suspicion that your password has been compromised, change it immediately.
  • Use password-protection software to prevent your passwords from being written on your computer in an unencrypted way.
  • When you are asked on a web page if you want it to remember your password, select "No".

If you do all of the above, then you use strong passwords and do your best to prevent crackers from accessing your password-protected accounts. Well done!