Security
To ensure proper security precautions, access to certain areas of the OWA website will require the use of a username and password. Certain passwords will provide various degrees of access, based upon your user status as either a public user, an OWA Professional, or an OWA Administrator. Passwords can be changed by the user themselves, and certain ‘administrators”.
Steps every user can take to ensure their own security:
- Don’t use personal information as a password: birthdays, names, favorites, etc. are obvious details too easily accessible to the common public.
- Avoid writing your passwords down: if you must keep a record take precautions to keep them in a secure place.
- Remember that most breaches of security are perpetrated by someone ‘close’ to the victim.
- Look for the letter ‘s’ in the url: ‘https://’ indicates that you are in a secure area; ‘http://’ indicates that you are in a non-secure area.
- Look for the lock:
if you see this in
the lower right hand corner of the web browser you are in
a secure area; this image may also occasionally be found
in the url window. - Use proven third party service providers: most will have implemented the proper systems to insure all security concerns, and will provide the necessary information upon inquiry.
