For many of us the start of spring is synonymous with cleaning out spaces, both physical and virtual: you’ve finally vacuumed under your couch, emptied out your spam folder and submitted three years of overdue taxes. But have you taken a moment to check up on your University of Toronto (U of T) UTORid account? Don’t worry if you haven’t, because it can be done in three easy steps.
-
Make sure your password recovery details are still valid.
You can use the University’s UTORid account recovery service to manage your password reset and account management options (instead of paying a visit to the help desk). If you haven’t opted in yet, you can register here. Just enter your phone number and/or an alternate email address and then select a personalized method for recovering your password.
-
Choose a new unique password for your U of T account.
Your UTORid password should be as unique as you are: it’s the gateway to all your services at the University. This could include your email, your University records and your financial information. If someone gains access to your University email account, they could use it to gain access to other accounts or services that are linked to that email address. Using the same passwords across multiple accounts also makes you more vulnerable to credential stuffing (when hackers take a set of login credentials and ‘stuff’ them into different digital service login pages to see what they can compromise).
-
Choose a really strong password.
Fortunately, the University makes it easy to create a strong password: all newly created passwords must be between 10 and 32 characters and follow these rules. If your password was created before these guidelines were implemented, now is a great time to make updates. Your new strong and unique U of T password can be used for a long time – your account is safe unless you suspect it has been compromised. If you suspect your password has been compromised in any way, change it immediately using the password recovery tool or contact the help desk.
Does your password spark joy? If you have a strong, unique and recoverable password you’re good to go. If you want to track all your passwords but are worried about the clutter, consider using a password manager as your assistant.