Policies and Procedures
Guidelines for acceptable usage of the College’s computer systems
By using the COE system, you consent to this policy.
Access to computer systems operated by the College of Engineering is a privilege, not a right. This privilege imposes certain responsibilities and obligations. Usage of the computer systems in the College of Engineering is subject to both college and university policies, as well as local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
Failure to meet these obligations and/or responsibilities, or commission of any acts which violate college or university policies and/or local, state, or federal laws may be subject to loss of privileges, and disciplinary action as prescribed in the student and employee handbooks, and may be punishable by state or federal law.
The Engineering Computer Center does not regularly search user files for illegal activity. However, if during the course of normal system maintenance suspicious activity is found, the proper authorities will be contacted. Remember the computer systems and disk drives on which files are stored are the property of Northeastern University and may be searched by the university at any time. These computer systems are intended for use related to courses and research only.
Engineering Computer Center Guidelines:
You can and will be held responsible for all activity in which your account is involved.
DO NOT under any circumstances give out your password to someone else no matter how well you know them. This includes your relatives and friends, and University faculty and staff. The Engineering Computer Center staff do not need your password and will NEVER ask for it. If you are asked for your password by anyone saying that they work here, DO NOT give it to them. Notify one of the Staff of the request as soon as possible.
DO NOT use an account that has not been assigned to you.
DO NOT use or try to use college computer systems to gain unauthorized access or perform activities that may be harmful to any other computer systems (college-owned or otherwise). This includes but is not limited to:
- Decrypting, cracking, recording, and/or guessing passwords.
- Exploiting or probing for possible security holes; network scanning.
- Circumventing or breaking any security, accounting, and/or quota mechanisms that may be in place.
- Propagating viruses and worms.
- Unauthorized access to or removal of files.
- Disrupting service, or engaging in any activities which might interfere with the use of computing resources by other users.
- Storing, copying, or distributing illegal copies of copyrighted software and/or data.
DO NOT use college computer systems for commercial use or personal material gain. Our hardware is obtained under special educational terms. Most software installed on the college computer systems is donated, or sold to the University at a significantly reduced price. The license that accompanies these purchases usually forbids using the software or hardware for non-educational or commercial purposes.
Be considerate in your use of shared resources, including but not limited to disk space, CPU cycles, network bandwidth, printer paper, and/or computer terminals. If you are unsure if your actions may cause harm to other users, please contact the ECC Staff and we will be happy to discuss it with you.
Above all, do no harm.