Security Issues

As more and more people use computers for increasingly critical work and as these computer systems get connected to other computers nearby and around the world, the need for security grows. With every new method of exchanging information between computers come new compromises in security. Today, a Rutgers student can access their Rutgers account from a computer at Rutgers, from their home computer, or from a computer on the other side of the world. This same access is available to a malicious hacker. The staff of Camden Computing Services does everything in its power too keep such unwanted intruders out of the system but users must also guard their accounts.

Everyone with a Rutgers computer account on clam or crab, or any Rutgers system, has their own netid (username) and password. Telling others your netid is completely acceptable and in fact necessary in order to send and receive email. Sharing your password with other users is an invitation for trouble and violates the reason for having passwords. If someone were to have your password they could log in to your account, destroy some or all of your files, send a harrassing email message to someone using your address, or attempt to cause problems on the system. This would all be done in your name.

Do not share your password with anyone (Rutgers students, friends, family, or otherwise). Your account is for your own use only. Be careful when typing in your password so that no one is watching over your shoulder. It is also suggested that you change your password once every semester or so. Also, faculty and staff with a password for different systems should periodically change them as well.

Faculty and staff should turn off their systems when going away on sabbatical so hackers cannot get into their systems and wreak havok.

When you are done using a PC, Mac or Sun workstation in a campus lab you MUST log out. Otherwise, you are leaving your account open for others to use and abuse. This is the main form of abuse that occurs, when users forget to logout of their accounts. So please, LOGOUT, LOGOUT and LOGOUT when done using your account on any PC, Mac or any Sun workstation.

On PCs and Macs viruses can be a problem. They can be spread through infected floppy disks, email and files downloaded from the Internet. Any new files or floppy disks you receive should first be checked with virus scanning software. Rutgers makes free virus scanning software available for PCs and Macs.

Through the Internet there are ways of meeting new people and interacting with them such as IM, email, newsgroups, and www. People on the Internet should be approach with caution since they can mask their true identities. If you receive email from someone you don't know, don't do anything they tell you. Just report this and any other suspicious activity to Camden Computing Services staff via email.

Questions/comments regarding Camden Computing Services or this web site
can be directed to: help@camden.rutgers.edu.
Last updated: November 29, 2005, 08:53 EST.
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