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CCS: Computing Policies

This is a list of general computer usage policies and security rules that apply to all users of CCS resources. Principal Investigators, and CCS staff members are responsible for implementing these policies and procedures in their organizations and ensuring that users fulfill their responsibilities. All holders of accounts on CCS machines are advised to retain a copy of this document for reference and audit purposes.

Computer Use	Appropriate Use. Computers, software, and communications systems provided by the CCS are to be used for work associated with and within the scope of the project that was approved by CCS. All CCS computers, networks, e-mail, and storage systems are property of the United States Government. Any misuse or unauthorized access is prohibited, and is subject to criminal and civil penalties. Monitoring. Under the terms of UT Battelle's contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, ORNL retains the right to monitor the content of all messages and to access any computer files without prior knowledge or consent of user, sender, or addressee.
Passwords	Passwords should be eight (8) characters long, and contain embedded punctuation marks and/or digits and/or a mix of upper and lower case characters. Users should not share accounts or passwords with anyone. The password must be changed every 180 days and as soon as possible after an unacceptable exposure or suspected compromise.
User Accountability	Users are accountable for their actions and may be held accountable to applicable administrative or legal sanctions. Security. Users must notify CCS immediately when they become aware that any of the accounts used to access CCS has been compromised. Misuse/abuse. CCS personnel and users are required to address, safeguard against and report misuse, abuse and criminal activities. Misuse of CCS resources can lead to temporary or permanent disabling of accounts, loss of DOE allocations, and administrative or legal actions. Contact info. Users should inform CCS promptly of any changes in their contact information (email, phone, affiliation, etc.).
Software Use	Proprietary/Licensed Software. All software used on CCS computers must be appropriately acquired and used according to the appropriate licensing. Possession or use of illegally copied software is prohibited. Likewise, users shall not copy copyrighted software, except as permitted by the owner of the copyright.  In general, the use of export controlled codes is prohibited, but special circumstances will be considered.   The use of an export controlled code must be approved prior to uploading it to CCS systems.
Data Use	Prohibited Data. The CCS computer systems are operated as research systems and only contain data related to scientific research and do not contain personally identifiable information (data that falls under the Privacy Act of 1974 5U.S.C. 552a). Use of CCS resources to store, manipulate, or remotely access any sensitive or national security information is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to classified information, unclassified controlled nuclear information (UCNI), naval nuclear propulsion information (NNPI), the design or development of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons or any weapons of mass destruction. The use of CCS resources for personal or non-work-related activities is also prohibited. Export Control. All Principal Investigators using CCS resources and CCS staff members are responsible for knowing whether their project generates any of these prohibited data types or information that falls under Export Control. CCS users are required to restrict Export Controlled Information from foreign nationals of DOE sensitive countries. For questions, contact consult@ccs.ornl.gov.
Foreign National Access	Principal Investigators are required to verify the citizenship status of users from their project (as provided on CCS account request forms). Access to CCS systems is denied to foreign nationals from countries on the Department of Commerce "Computer Tier 4" list. These countries are Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. Additionally, no work may be performed on CCS computers on behalf of foreign nationals from these countries.
Confidentiality Integrity and Availability	CCS systems are provided to our users without any warranty. CCS will not be held liable in the event of any system failure or loss of data. The CCS systems provide reasonable commercial protections to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of user's data. These measures include the availability of file permissions, archival systems with access control lists, and parity and CRC checks on data paths and files. It is the user's responsibility to set access controls appropriately for the data. However, in the event of system failure or malicious actions, the CCS cannot guarantee that a user's data cannot be accessed, changed, or deleted by another individual. It is the users responsibility in insure the appropriate level of backup, and integrity checks on critical data and programs.
Prohibited Actions	Account Sharing. Accounts on the CCS machines are for the exclusive use of the individual user named in the account application. Users should not share accounts or passwords with anyone. If evidence is found that more than one person is using an account, that account will be disabled immediately. Malicious Software. Users must not intentionally introduce or use malicious software such as computer viruses, Trojan horses, or worms. Unauthorized Access. Users are not to attempt to receive unintended messages or access information by some unauthorized means, such as imitating another system, impersonating another user or other person, misuse of legal user credentials (usernames, passwords, etc.), or by causing some system component to function incorrectly. Altering Authorized Access. Users are prohibited from changing or circumventing access controls to allow themselves or others to perform actions outside their authorized privileges. Data Modification/Destruction. Users are prohibited from taking unauthorized actions to intentionally modify or delete information or programs. Denial of Service. Users may not deliberately interfere with other users accessing system resources.