Don’t Trade Convenience for Security: Protect the Providence of your Work

Don’t Trade Convenience for Security: Protect the Providence of your Work
I recently volunteered as an AV tech at a science communication conference in Portland, OR. There, I handled the computers of a large number of presenters, all scientists and communicators who were passionate about their topic and occasionally laissez-faire about their system security.As exacting as they were with the science, I found many didn’t actually see a point to the security policies their institutions had, or they had actively circumvented them.A short survey heard reasoning likeMy college doesn’t actually care.It takes too long, so I disabled it.I *want* my data to be accessible by other scientists. Why should we secure it?I have bigger things to worry about – you know my research is on ?Too many systems require passwords, so I just use the same one.I travel a lot, so I automatically connect to open WiFi networks.All my stuff is on Google Docs anyway.A reasonably large portion of this group didn’t think security mattered and found it too annoying to put up with. That security is the enemy of convenience is well known, but since it is important (and it is – their universities do care), there are ways to make it as habitual as brushing your teeth – unless your research is on gum decay.In general, a security program will be concerned with controlling access – only people who are supposed to get at the computer, the email, the network, the data store, etc, can actually get access to read or edit what is there.What could happen if someone who is not supposed to have the ability to write or edit gets access? The possibilities run from simple mistakes to malicious sabotage, all of which could have eff ..

Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.