Never share your password with anyone, not even a relative or colleague. If another person has your password, they can, for all computer purposes, be you. This extends far beyond simply reading your email. At Columbia, this would include sending email as you, gaining access to sensitive financial or health information, and changing where your paycheck goes, and is considered a serious policy violation. But it's just not a smart thing to do anywhere.

It's very important to use different passwords for different systems. This limits the damage a malicious person can do should a password fall into the wrong hands. Everyone understands that it's nearly impossible to memorize a different strong password for each service you need to log in to. It's a good idea to have a set of four or five very strong passwords that you use on different systems.

Do everything you can to memorize your passwords, but if, for some reason, you absolutely must write down a password, always keep the note with you or in a locked file, and do not write down the corresponding ID.

Choosing Strong Passwords

To reach this page quickly in the future, use the keyword protectpwd.

Send reports of security incidents, attacks, or questions to security@columbia.edu