Home > MetNews

Theft prompts new computer safeguards
By Amy Woodward
awoodwa5@mscd.edu

Since the theft of a laptop in March, Metro’s Information Technology department has been taking steps toward strengthening security on Metro’s computers.

IT has been focusing on network services like MetroConnect by implementing the Automatic Timeout of Idle Sessions policy and by requiring that students change their passwords every semester, according to George Middlemist, vice president of the department.

Under the timeout policy, students have 15 minutes of inactivity while logged on to MetroConnect before the program automatically logs them out.

Timed sessions are needed because most students and faculty forget to log off of Metro’s sites, especially in computer labs where “people usually just walk away without logging off the site,” Middlemist said. This poses a security risk in which anyone would be able to sit at the computer and access the account.

IT has not yet decided how long the timeout session will be and plans to change the time frame of the sessions, but all final decisions will be made by the department’s vice president.

Jack Wiley, president of the Student Government Assembly, said he is concerned about the policy statement.

“What my concern is, is not around the issue of security … our policy doesn’t have any kind of check and balance system,” he said. “Right now all authority is given to the vice president of information technology.”

Middlemist said he will be having an “open house” where students can come with their questions or concerns, and he will be able to provide them with information and answers they need.

“The plan is for people to come and talk and share what their needs are so we can balance that with what will make us a little more secure,” Middlemist said.

In response to the idea that the authority to establish timeout sessions lies with one man, Middlemist said, “You have asked the CIO, which in this case is me, to use their knowledge, and you’ve hired them to do the job for you, so you’ve got to give them the latitude to do that job.”

Wiley questioned what would happen once Middlemist was no longer the vice president and what would happen when a new vice president came in.

“I don’t have a problem with George having that authority,” Wiley said. “But when you put in a policy change, you have to think about the unintended consequences.”

IT has also begun to implement the password policy, which requires a password be at least eight characters long with a mixture of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and punctuation marks.

“You can’t use names,” Middlemist said. “And you can’t use any word that can be found in the dictionary.”

The password policy is a first for the college, and Middlemist said it may seem small but is a huge step for Metro.