Security connected to the computer systems at NTNU.

Norsk versjon - Digital sikkerhet

Topic page about IT services | Pages labeled with it

Read the IT regulations

Before you begin to use NTNU's computer systems, you need to read the university's ICT regulations.

You are not anonymous!

You are not anonymous when you are using NTNU's network. The university keeps logs with information on computer activity, which can be used to investigate regulation violations or computer hacking. You can read more about logging at this page.

Password

You should have a secure password, mainly to prevent other people from gaining access to your files and to prevent unauthorized people from getting into NTNU's computer system. Most break-ins happen when the intruder randomly chooses your (poorly protected) account to gain access, and then gets into the system from there. Strong passwords help prevent break-ins.

You are not allowed to share your password. If someone offers to help you and wants your password to fix something, just say no. Instead, go to Orakel Support Services to get help. NTNU's operations division or Orakel will never ask for your password on the telephone or by email.

Good password practices

You should change your password roughly once a semester, which is best done after holiday breaks. Under the IT regulations, you are required to change your password if you know or suspect that someone else knows or has gotten your password.

Reuse of your password

Don't use your NTNU password for web-based services such as Facebook, Hotmail, Google, Amazon, and similar services. It is a good idea to have different passwords for different systems and computers to minimize the amount of damage that can be done if someone gets a hold of one of your passwords.

Saving your password

Many email programs allow you to save your password so that you don't have to sign in every time you want to read your email. This can be risky, because the password will likely be saved on that particular computer, which will make it available to anyone who uses the computer after you.

A number of webmail services, such as Hotmail, offer to check your mail on your NTNU account. You should absolutely not enter your password there, because it will be very easy to find and misuse if an intruder gets into Hotmail's server.

Break-ins to NTNU's computer systems cost the university a great deal of time and money every year. By having a strong password, you can reduce the risk of break-ins. That frees us to use resources to develop offerings for you and your fellow students.

File permissions

In UNIX, which is used on all file servers for stud.ntnu.no, files can be protected to prevent unauthorized people from reading them, writing into them or searching for them. You can read about file permissions to determine if and how you want to give your files additional protection.

Security at your workstation

Anything that you save on your local hard drive stays there and is available to anyone who uses that computer after you. You should instead save your private files on your home directory.

Remember to screenlock your computer if you plan to leave it for a while. Consider logging out if your machine does not have a locking function. If you are using a terminal you have to log completely out. If you lock the terminal locally, your password will not unlock it. Instead, you will need a password that users generally do not know. If this happens, you will have to restart the computer to work again. These computer labs are available for everyone.

Secure your computer

An increase in viruses and other forms of abuse are becoming more and more common, and it is therefore important to look into ways of protecting your computer.

Firewall

All modern operating systems have built-in firewall. This must not be disabled or altered in a way that it compromises the security.

Automatic update

Be sure to download security updates automatically, most operating systems can be set to do this.

Antivirus

Install an anti-virus program and make sure that it is always up to date with the latest virus definitions. As an employee, you can download the Anti-Virus program here.

Note: Never install more than one antivirus on your computer.

Report data security violations

Report security violations to the sentral security reception.

Contact NTNU SOC: soc@ntnu.no

Telephone: +47 90 66 43 50

see: https://www.ntnu.edu/web/adm-it/ntnu-soc

Suspicious email.

If you notice an email that looks suspicious, it is important report this to NTNU SOC. Read more here.

Learn more about how to secure email.

If you are going to send sensitive information, consider firstly whether this can be done through case prosessing tools like ePhorte. If not, information must be encrypted.

Encryption of one or more files

Encryption of Office documents

If you often communicate with someone internally, Outlook can be configured to encrypt and sign: (Advanced method that can be difficult to set up)

Digital signing and encryption

Tip: You may also want to share an area in Onedrive and privilege this to those who will receive the files.

See also

• Microsoft Safety and Security Center

Contact

For general support regarding IT or Information Security contact Digital Security Division at security@ntnu.no