Held every October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online. For the 18th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Department of Technology will be sending out weekly messages. This week’s message is: Be Cyber Smart.

Shake up your password protocol! According to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidance, you should consider using the longest password or passphrase permissible. Including numbers and special characters makes passwords even more secure. Get creative and customize your standard password for different sites, which can prevent cyber criminals from gaining access to these accounts and protect you in the event of a breach. Use password managers to generate and remember different, complex passwords for each of your accounts. Don’t use passwords that can be easily guessed.

As a reminder, ACPS is reinstituting a required password change for all staff and students in grades 3-12, starting this month. You can use the Self Password Portal to self-manage your password. Remember, our department will never ask you for your password. Please do not share your password with anyone!