University at Buffalo (UB)
Protect your information: register for 24/7 UBITName password resets
Published October 4, 2017 This content is archived.
If you’ve ever had one of your accounts hacked, you know the horrible sinking feeling of realizing that what you once thought of as your private property—from emails and photos to credit cards and bank accounts—is no longer under your control.
It’s not an uncommon experience. In fact, identity theft and fraud are on the rise as the tactics used by criminals are becoming more refined and harder to detect.
Almost everyone at UB uses their UBITName and password to access email, cloud storage, class information...the list goes on. HUB even saves your payment info for tuition and fees, and stores personal data like home addresses and social security numbers!
The bottom line—your UBITName account touches many aspects of your personal, work and academic life, and it’s all accessible from a single account name and password.
What can I do to keep my UBITName safe?
The easiest way for someone to gain control of your UBITName account is to steal your password—more often than not, this is the goal of all those phishing attempts we receive at UB. What’s worse, they can then change your password, making it impossible for you to stop them as they do with your data what they will.
Impossible, that is, unless you opt-in for UBITName password recovery. You can do it right now, with the online UBITName Manager.
The UBITName Manager offers two key ways to protect yourself from theft and fraud. First, you can set a series of security questions to answer if you need to reset your password in a pinch. Second, you can enter a mobile phone number or a non-UB email address where a temporary code can be sent that will let you reset your password.
If you set these options up ahead of time, you can visit the UBITName Manager at ubidm.buffalo.edu to lock down your account in a matter of minutes. It also doesn’t hurt to have these options available in case you forget your UBITName password for whatever reason.
I think my account has been hacked, but I didn’t set up password recovery options. What do I do?
If you haven’t set up any password recovery options, and you think your account has been compromised—maybe you can’t log in suddenly, or others report receiving suspicious emails from you—contact the UBIT Help Center and they will help you fix the problem as quickly as possible.
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. For more tips on staying safe, visit buffalo.edu/ubit/safe.