Volume 21

No. 5  May/June 2006

Safe Computing: Tips for Handling Sensitive Data

Tim McGovern

Many MIT faculty, students, and staff handle sensitive data on a routine basis. This data includes not only personal identifiers – such as birthdates, Social Security numbers, and home addresses – but also medical records, academic records (such as grades), salary information, and research data and other intellectual property.

Sensitive data is often stored in electronic format, which can make it more vulnerable to exposure. This article recommends some guidelines for handling this data more safely.

Data Stewards and Distributed Data
MIT collects and stores sensitive data in large central administrative systems – MITSIS, SAP HR, and the like. Departments, laboratories, and research centers (DLCs) may also record some of the centrally maintained data to support local decision-making and planning. The central administrative data stewards ensure that proper safeguards are in place for their databases. DLC staff must ensure that they have implemented corresponding safeguards. This includes both protection for data that is stored and protection for data that is being transmitted from one person or place to another.

Protecting Stored Data
When you include sensitive data in any electronic files (e.g., Word, Excel, FileMaker, Access), make sure that the computer on which those files are stored is configured to require a strong username/password. For better protection, you can also assign passwords for databases and spreadsheets.

If you store files that contain sensitive data on removable media such as flash drives, writable CDs, or DVDs, keep these in a secure location when not in use. Printed copies of sensitive data require the same level of protection.

It’s not a good idea to run web servers on any computer where sensitive data resides, particularly personal computers, as these tend to be more vulnerable to hacking than MIT’s enterprise systems.

Protecting Transmitted Data
When conducting Institute business, you may need to send sensitive data to another office. Most of MIT’s central administrative applications use encryption to protect data as it travels from your office to the central database. Use of Kerberos usernames and passwords or MIT certificates ensures that only authorized maintainers can make changes.

Since MITnet and other networks are subject to interception by outsiders, sending sensitive data without encryption is strongly discouraged.

• Don’t send sensitive files as email attachments unless they are protected.
• Don’t discuss confidential and sensitive matters over mobile phones.
• Don’t fax sensitive documents unless you know that the receiving fax is secure (i.e., only appropriate individuals have access).
• Don’t use voice mail to convey sensitive information unless you know that the message is secure. To be on the safe side, request a call back when you need to provide sensitive data to others.

is&t Home |  is&t Back Issues |  Volume 21 |  No. 5