University Information Services is mandating that students change their Georgetown account login passwords every six months within a two week notification period, a policy first announced February 19. Students who do not comply within the timeframe will be denied access to University systems including SaxaNet, Google Apps, and Blackboard.
The policy, according to UIS Communications Manager Laura Horton, is a response to an increase in the volume and sophistication of virtual attacks on higher education institutions. According to Horton, Georgetown receives about 2.4 million attempts against its network each month.
“This policy was implemented after some of our faculty were targeted in a phishing scheme, their passwords stolen, and used to access our financial systems to re-route their paychecks to foreign accounts,” she wrote in an email to the Voice.
UIS will send emails informing Georgetown account owners of the mandate and continue to send reminders throughout the two week period.
