Policy 904 - Identification and Authentication Policy

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Section: Information Technology
Policy Number: 904
Responsible Office: Information Technology
Effective Date: 5/1/19
Revised: 5/1/19; 6/11/20

Policy Statement

The purpose of the Identification and Authentication policy is to manage risks from user authentication and access to St. John’s University (St. John’s) information assets through the establishment of an effective identification and authentication program.  The program helps St. John’s to implement identification and authentication security best practices.

Scope and Applicability

This policy applies to the University Community.  Adherence to this policy helps safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of St. John’s information assets, and protects the interest of St. John’s, its customers, personnel, and business partners.

Policy

St. John’s implements and maintains proper controls on IT systems to confirm user identity prior to access. St. John’s access protection measures provide assurance of individual accountability through the identification and authentication of each IT system user.  

It is St. John’s policy to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information systems.  St. John’s IT Department:

  • Ensures all St. John’s information systems have the means to enforce user accountability for system activity (both authorized and unauthorized) to be traced to a specific user or to an approved user group.
     
  • Ensures all information systems have a method of user and device identification and authentication.  Systems that do not meet this requirement must explicitly request in writing a policy deviation.
     
  • Manages identifiers and authenticators for both users and devices to ensure appropriate authorization, assignment and termination.
     
  • Ensures St. John’s systems use standard approved cryptographic authentication.
     
  • Ensures all authenticator feedback is encrypted.
     
  • Ensures all users are identified and authenticated under the same requirements.
     
  • Ensures that individual authentication information is not shared among users or system personnel.

Definitions

The following are the definitions relevant to the policy:

  • Computing Resources: All St. John’s information processing resources including all St. John’s owned, licensed, or managed computing services, hardware, software, and use of St. John’s network via physical or wireless connection regardless of the ownership of the computer or device connected to the network.
     
  • Institutional Data: All data owned or licensed by St. John’s.
     
  • University Community: Includes faculty, administrators, staff, student workers, graduate/technical assistants, alumni, interns, guests or agents of the administration, external individuals and organizations accessing St. John’s network services, and other authorized users.

Compliance

St. John’s reserves the right to audit networks and systems on a periodic basis to ensure compliance with this policy.  Instances of non-compliance must be presented to, reviewed, and approved by the CIO, the Director of Information Security, or the equivalent officer(s).

All breaches of information security, actual or suspected, must be reported to, and investigated by the CIO and the Director of Information Security. 

Those who violate security policies, standards, or security procedures are subject to disciplinary action up to and including loss of computer access and appropriate disciplinary actions as determined by St. John’s.

Related Policies, Standards or Regulations