Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy

Welcome Back, Use your New Devices on the Penn Network Safely!

The holiday season means that there will be many new devices coming on campus. You should make sure that these devices are secured to protect your information as well as Penn’s network. Connecting to Penn’s wireless networks also saves your cellular data. Do the following to help keep your devices and Penn safe!

• First make sure that your devices are using strong passwords. If your device has a default password on the device please make sure that you change that password. “Strong” passwords are passwords that are complex with a mix of letters, upper and lowercase, numbers and special characters.
• New devices may have been on the retailers’ shelf for a while so make sure that your device has the most updated software available. After you connect the device to the network, please run and install any updates that are available.
• Some devices also permit you to use additional security features such as two-factor authentication to secure the accounts for your devices. If the manufacturer of your device supports additional security features they should be noted on the company web page.
• For new phones and computers please use the JoinNow application to get your device on the Penn network, AirPennNet. AirPennNet is a secure network that uses encryption.
• If you have a device that cannot be placed on AirPennNet, for example a Kindle EReader, then you can use AirPennNet-Device. AirPennNet-Device is supported across campus.

For helping in finding these features and making sure that they are in use please use the manufacturer’s website.

For more information on wireless at Penn see: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/using-wireless-penn

For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/news-alerts#One-Step-Ahead