These examples are intended to illustrate the range of unacceptable actions rather than to exhaustively elaborate all specific behaviors that may violate the principle. Users must adamantly protect their personal passwords Passwords are the basic security mechanism which authenticate individuals as eligible to use University resources. The username and password also authorize individuals to perform specific actions based on the identity of the user, such as permitting students to drop classes or faculty to view class lists. Many legal and ethical violations begin when the culprit obtains use of someone else's password, wittingly or unwittingly shared. Passwords should be chosen that are difficult to guess and should not be written down.
Experts recommend changing passwords on a regular basis.
Under no circumstances should a password be shared with a family member, friend or acquaintance, much less any stranger or caller. Appendix C contains a guide to the selection and management of personal passwords . Users should immediately report any suspected unauthorized use of their username to their system administrator. Users must respect the privacy of others' passwords, information and communication, and may not attempt to use University resources to gain unauthorized access to any site or network or to maliciously compromise the performance of internal or external systems or networks Digital environments present certain new opportunities for abuse, but the infractions and consequences are often comparable to those in the physical world. Just as an unlocked door is not an invitation to theft, everything that is technically possible is not permissible or legal.