What's that distorted word in the image, and why do I have to type it in?
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When I create an account or reset my password, the system asks me to type in a nonsense word that appears as a distorted image. What is this? And why do I have to type this in?
That distorted word is called a "captcha", and this technique is used to help keep spammers and hackers off the system. (You'd be surprised at what kind of account names appear otherwise!)
In order to help protect your data, we use the "captcha" to keep automated "spambots" from creating login accounts on the system. Automated spambots can't recognize the distorted word; so when you type in the distorted word, it verifies that the account is being created by a real human being.
By the way, the "captcha" word is case-sensitive, so be sure to enter it exactly the case (upper or lower) in which the word appears.
