Common Sense Principles:
- Do NOT disclose any personal or QU confidential information unless it is absolutely necessary and given to appropriate party
- Do NOT leave sensitive information lying around your workspace.
- Do NOT install unauthorized or unlicensed applications.
- Always lock your computer before you leave it
- Always ensure that anti-malware software is running and is up to date
- Always verify before you allow someone access to a work area where sensitive information is handled.
Passwords:
- Do NOT use an easy to guess password
- Do NOT share your password with anyone, even your supervisor or best friend
- Do NOT use the same password for work and personal accounts
- Do NOT write your password and leave it where others can find it
- Do NOT use a public computer to log on to sites with sensitive information (e.g. bank)
- Do use strong but easy to remember passwords – strong passwords have letters (upper and lower case), numbers, and symbols
Email, Instant Messaging, and Web Surfing:
- Do NOT click on links that you receive in email messages unless you are absolutely sure they are safe.
- Do NOT respond to email messages or phone calls that request personal or confidential information.
- Do NOT send confidential information from work by email without proper authorization
- Do NOT send confidential information to hosted personal email accounts such as Gmail or Yahoo!
Social Networking – Don’t Expose Yourself:
- Golden rule #1: If you do not want the world to see it, do NOT post it!
- Golden rule #2: do NOT allow others to break the first rule for you. Do NOT share with them what you do not want the world to see!
- If you hold an important position, you are a prime target for attackers. Follow rules #1 and #2 closely.
Report Suspicious Activities:
- If you think that sensitive information has been exposed
- If you’re not sure about the safety of a message that you received
- If you think your computer has been compromised or hacked
- If you have other questions related to information protection
- If you receive a well-crafted message from anyone at Qatar University that asks for personal account information including passwords, bank accounts, etc.
Contact the ITS Help Desk by phone to (+974) 4403-3456 or by email to helpdesk@qu.edu.qa