Data Communication Network Security Policy
Farmingdale State College’s data network shall be run in a secure manner, with reasonable
steps taken to protect electronic data assets owned and/or managed by Farmingdale
State College, and the transmission of data from or within the College.
Responsibilities:
The Department of Information Technology (IT) is responsible for managing all devices
on the campus network. IT is also responsible for the design, maintenance, and operation
of the overall campus network. Each area on campus has the responsibility to run their
individual networks in a manner consistent with Colleges Policies and Mission.
1. Addressing Devices - All devices that are connected to the campus network must have the appropriate
authorization from IT. All such authorized devices will be allowed to use an Internet
Protocol (IP) address within the 137.125.0.0, class B, address space, and managed
by Farmingdale State College, in addition to other communications protocols as appropriate. Each
area has been assigned a range of addresses to assign to the devices they are responsible
for. Areas are not to use addresses outside assigned ranges without prior authorization
from IT.
2. Connecting Network Devices - Each area of the College has assigned one or more technical contacts, who are responsible
to provide IT with a list of all devices that are connected to the campus network. This
list should include the device name, device location, IP and MAC address.
When IT detects or is made aware of a problem, the technical contact for the area
will be notified and asked to repair or remove the faulty device. It is important
to keep up-to-date information for each registered device on the campus network. If
the technical contact for the area cannot be reached, the system in question will
be taken off the network until the problem is resolved.
3. Wiring Closets/Cabinets. – IT is responsible for managing all campus data wiring closets/cabinets. In many
buildings users are assigned to a specific port on a data communications device. Only
IT personnel are permitted to add, change, or remove connections from wiring closets.
4. Data Communications Equipment. - Each building has one or more switches that are managed by IT. Each switch provides
data connections to one or more classrooms and/or offices. Many rooms have the need
for more devices than there are connections. Adding a switch or hub inside the office
or classroom commonly solves this problem. If a switch or hub is incorrectly configured
it can cause network outages. Therefore, adding switches, hubs, routers and/or firewall
devices to network ports without the prior consent of IT is strictly prohibited.
5. Bandwidth Usage. - It is the responsibility of all users on campus to manage bandwidth to the best
of their ability. Users should schedule large file transfers including downloads and
backups between machines for off-peak hours. Peak hours are defined as; 8am - 6pm
Mon. - Fri. Users should avoid attaching large files to e-mails and avoid running
file-sharing programs as both use a considerable amount of bandwidth.
5. Running Servers. - Servers of any type are prohibited unless authorized by IT prior to installation. A
server is defined as any device that provides a service or resource to other devices. Services
include, but are not limited to, WWW, FTP, SMTP (E-mail), SNMP, Telnet, SSH, SSL,
DHCP, DNS, File sharing, and Active Directory.
6. Blocked Ports. - IT reserves the right to block the ability to reach network services to and/or
from the campus by blocking ports and services at any level. Blocking ports is necessary
to protect the security of our systems and the integrity of our data. Circumventing
this policy by running services on non-standard ports is strictly prohibited.
7. Monitoring. - IT will take reasonable steps to monitor the campus network in a way that will
detect common network attacks originating either on or off campus.
IT runs periodic network scans to test the integrity of the campus network resources.
Because attackers often scan as a precursor to an attack, and because a poorly written
or configured scanner can cause problems on the network, only IT may do so.
IT may record network activity at its discretion. These records may be kept on file
and may be used as evidence in the event that the network policy is violated. Users
are prohibited from using any software or device to “hide” their computer from the
network scanning programs.
8. Name Space IT maintains the DNS namespace “farmingdale.edu”. No user is permitted to register
any DNS name that points to an IP address in the class B range 137.125.0.0, other
than IT. IT maintains the campus primary DNS server. Users are not permitted to run
their own DNS servers or use sub domains of farmingdale.edu without written permission
of IT.
9. Reporting Security Events. - In the event you feel that a campus user has violated or has attempted to violate
one or more of your resources, you must report this to IT. Security events are to
be reported via e-mail to Helpdesk@farmingdale.edu.
10. Re-enabling of blocked hosts. - Devices that have been disconnected from the network will be re-enabled if and
when IT has a reasonable belief that the system is no longer a security risk. If the
security risks continues, the host will be permanently disconnected from the network
until IT can schedule a visit to verify the device is free from risk.
Please also see – Wired or Wireless Network Policy
Farmingdale State Acceptable Use Policy