U. of Michigan Posters Compare Computer Passwords to Underwear

Posters at the University of Michigan warn students to treat their computer passwords like their underwear.

To improve password security, the posters urge students to “change yours often” and “don’t leave yours lying around.” Passwords and underwear are alike in many ways, the posters say -- “the longer, the better,” for instance, and the more mysterious, the more appealing.

Five poster designs featuring the character “Zeke,” a creation of the cartoonist Harley Schwadron, are rotated around the campus every six weeks.

Campus officials began the “passwords are like underwear” campaign last year. The posters are so popular that some students have taken them to decorate their dormitory rooms.