Cybersecurity Blog

Only you can use your MRU account – 02/26/20

 

When we tabulated our survey results, we were delighted to find a significant reduction in password sharing on campus. However, our victory lap did not last long. Password sharing is happening less but there are scary numbers of people logging in and letting someone else use their account.

We understand that you have guests that come on campus and need wifi access, that you have new employees that you need to train and that sometimes a colleague’s or friend’s account isn’t working.  However regardless of the reason, credentials should not be shared.   Your credentials are only for your use. They give you exactly what you need to have access to, no more and no less.  This protects you, your colleagues and the institution.

Stop for a minute and think about all the things only you can access with your login credentials that no one else has access to. Do you really want someone else to be able to access those things? Think about how embarrassing, uncomfortable or alarmed you would feel if a colleague or friend started exploring. I know what you are thinking, I can trust them. They wouldn’t do anything malicious with my account.

Regularly we hear about horror stories of friendships gone wrong, bitter colleagues, bad breakups and the resulting fallout.  When things go bad it is impossible to predict how someone will react. You would be unpleasantly surprised to know the damage that has been caused when these things occur.

Even if letting someone else use your account doesn’t result in data armageddon,  it is against the Acceptable Use of Computing and Communication Resources Policy. The good news is there is no reason to do so. IT Services can arrange access for anyone for any reason. We have a solution for every situation.  Find yours in the Credential Use Guidelines. If you aren’t sure what to do, just call the IT Service Desk and let them know what your time frame is. They will get back to you right away and provide you with a solution.

Don’t give up control by logging in for someone else. Reserve your account for your use only, not the other 114 people who are looking for access.

 

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