BNL Cyber Security Guidelines
The Laboratory’s main concerns are protecting data and systems critical
to operations in pursuit of its mission. The Laboratory’s Computer Security
Plan covers Laboratory systems, whether on‑site and connected directly to
the Laboratory network, or on‑ or off‑site and connected to the Laboratory
network by the telephone system or other means.
The procedures and rules described here cover these systems no matter who
is the owner or the method of connection to the network. Laboratory
employees and registered users are responsible for their own actions under
the computer security policy, as well as for the actions of any person who
they permit to access a Laboratory system.
Appropriate Use
Brookhaven National Laboratory’s single mission is science and the
laboratory’s objective is to maintain an open scientific environment where
the free exchange of ideas is encouraged and protected. Questions of proper
or improper use of computers are normally management rather than technical
issues and should be dealt with in the normal course of supervisory
oversight. Examples of inappropriate and unacceptable use of computing and
networking resources include, but are not limited to:
- Legally
prohibited activities on the Internet (child pornography,
interstate gambling,);
- Computer
usage that reasonably offends other employees, users, or
outsiders, or results in public embarrassment to the
laboratory;
- Computer usage that is not specifically approved and which consumes
significant amounts of computer resources not commensurate with its
benefit to the laboratory’s mission or which interferes with the
performance of an employee’s assigned job responsibilities;
- Operation of a private business or social activity unrelated to the
laboratory;
- Violation of license and other computer related contract provisions,
particularly those that expose the laboratory to significant legal costs
or damages.
Unauthorized and Malicious Access and
Actions
Individuals are implicitly authorized to access accounts in their own name,
and to alter or delete data in those accounts, and they may access files
which are enabled for reading for a class of individuals including the
person attempting to access them.
All employees and users are forbidden to attempt unauthorized entry to
computer systems or accounts, or to attempt unauthorized damage, alteration,
falsification or deletion of data (including software and email). This
prohibition explicitly includes attempts to spoof or falsify email, network,
or other information used to identify sources, destinations or other
information about communications, data, or storage.
All employees and users are forbidden to attempt to cause denial of
computing or network services at the Laboratory or use Laboratory resources
to cause intentional damage or denial of service to computers outside of the
BNL network. Serious negligence that results in service denials will be
treated as any other negligence that results in equivalent damage to the
laboratory mission.
Blatant Disregard for Laboratory
Computer Security
Blatant disregard for Laboratory computer security will not be tolerated.
The Chief Information Officer may advise managers about individual
employees, or users, that specific computer security practices are
unacceptable and that these practices should be corrected. Examples include
those practices that unreasonably expose the Laboratory computers or
increase the effort required by computer security personnel.
Privacy of Electronic Files, and
E-MAIL
Computer and network resources are provided by BNL to its employees for
business purposes. BNL understands and accepts a reasonable level of
personal use of its resources. However, because these facilities are
provided for business purposes, there is no guarantee of privacy. Contents
of files and e-mails may be subject to review in the case of suspicious
activity or during an ongoing investigation.
Publishing & Accessing
Information on Electronic Networks
The technology of the Internet and the evolving applications and
standards that support it (especially the World Wide Web) provide
unprecedented power to access and publish information almost
instantaneously. Brookhaven National Laboratory strongly encourages its
responsible use.
Despite the new power of this technology, the fundamental policy of the
Laboratory about information and the use of our computers and networks
remain unchanging and simple:
Brookhaven National Laboratory’s single mission is science and the
laboratory will maintain an open scientific environment where the free
exchange of ideas is encouraged and protected. The use of government
property is for the government’s purposes.
If you have a question that is
not addressed in these pages, please send an email to
itdhelp@bnl.gov.
Last Modified: January 31, 2008
Please forward all questions about this site to:
Web Services
|
