Acceptable Use Policy

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Acceptable Use Policy

Responsible Party

Director of Information Technology/CIO

Introduction and Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline the acceptable use of computer equipment at Montana Technological University. These rules are in place to protect the faculty, staff, students, affiliated users, and Montana Technological University as a whole. Inappropriate use exposes the university to risks, including virus attacks, compromise of network systems and services, and legal issues.

Policy

Under no circumstances is an employee of Montana Technological University authorized to engage in any activity that is illegal under local, state, federal, or international law while utilizing Montana Technological University-owned resources.

Unacceptable Use

The following activities are generally prohibited. Employees may be exempt from these restrictions during the course of their legitimate job responsibilities (e.g., systems administration staff may need to disable the network access of a host if that host is disrupting production services).

Note: The lists below are not exhaustive but aim to provide a framework for activities that fall under unacceptable use.

  • Violations of the rights of any person or company protected by copyright, trade secret, patent, or other intellectual property, including the installation or distribution of unlicensed software.
  • Unauthorized copying of copyrighted material, including digitization and distribution of photographs, copyrighted music, and the installation of any copyrighted software without an active license.
  • Accessing data, a server, or an account for any non-business purpose, even with authorized access.
  • Introduction of malicious programs into the network or server (e.g., viruses, worms, Trojan horses).
  • Sharing account passwords or allowing account access by others, including family or household members.
  • Exploiting another user’s naivety or negligence to gain unauthorized access to any system, data, software, or file.
  • Interfering with other users’ access to Montana University System computing facilities, unless authorized.
  • Reading other users’ data, information, files, or programs without the owner’s explicit permission, except when required by authorized personnel as part of job duties.
  • Using Montana Technological University computing assets for illegal activities, including harassment or creating a hostile workplace environment.
  • Making fraudulent offers of products or services originating from any university account.
  • Engaging in security breaches or disrupting network communications, including unauthorized data access or unauthorized server logins.
  • Executing network monitoring that intercepts data not intended for the employee's host unless it is part of regular duties.
  • Circumventing user authentication or security of any host, network, or account.
  • Denying service to any user other than the employee's host (e.g., denial of service attack).
  • Using any program or command with the intent to interfere with or disable a user’s terminal session.
  • Modifying, installing, or removing computer equipment, software, or peripherals without proper authorization.

Procedures

  • Information Technology Services will verify compliance with this policy through various methods, including but not limited to business tool reports and internal/external audits.
  • Individuals found in violation of this policy may face disciplinary action.
  • Any noncompliance with these requirements constitutes a security violation and will be reported to Montana Tech management. Violations may result in temporary or permanent loss of access to university computing systems and networks, and severe violations may lead to civil or criminal prosecution.

Agreement Statement

"I have read and understand the Montana Technological University Computing Systems Use Ethics Statement and agree to abide by it."

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