Remember "PUPS" to Stay Safe and Cybersecure

National Cyber Security Awareness Month goes to the dogs to help recall security best practices

September 30, 2025

Reyn Oyadomori

A husky puppy is cradled upside down in his owner's arms, surrounded by the brilliant colors of fall.

For the Pepperdine Information Security Office's (ISO) 2025 National Cyber Security Awareness Month campaign, we wanted to offer our community a simple way to remember four vital practices to bolster their cybersecurity. When we listed the four pillars, the answer essentially spelled itself out: PUPS! Focusing on Passwords, Updates, Phishing, and SecureConnect allowed us to use "man's best friends" to help everyone remember ISO's best practices: P-U-P-S.

Passwords

Follow these best practices for creating and maintaining strong passwords as a frontline defense:

Make an easy-to-remember password.
Keep your password secure.
Make your password strong.
Follow Pepperdine's technical requirements for passwords.
Learn how to change your password.
Understand mobile device PIN requirements if the device contains University information.

Update Applications and Systems

Maintaining all system and application updates is vital in reducing your device's vulnerability to hackers and viruses. You should keep Macintosh and Windows computers up to date with vendor-supplied software updates for the operating systems and associated programs:

Macintosh: Use the Software Update feature set to auto-install updates and check daily for new updates. It is a good practice to shut down (power off) or restart (not just sleep or close the lid) your Mac weekly to apply application updates.
Windows: Users can now receive updates automatically for their Windows operating system, their Microsoft Office suite, and other Microsoft programs using the Microsoft Update process.

Phishing

A phishing message presents an innocent-looking but dangerous request to share information, open a file, or run a program. The message may appear urgent or subtly enticing, but the goal is the same — to make money from your information, accounts, or computer for cybercriminals. Learn how to avoid being phished.

SecureConnect

SecureConnect adds security to Pepperdine accounts by using two factors to confirm your identity: your password and a personal device or on-campus network connection. Want to move beyond the basics and learn a little more? Here are three quick SecureConnect tips:

We wish everyone safe computing!

Information Technology