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Passwords are an essential aspect of computer security. A poorly chosen password may result in unauthorized access and/or exploitation of our resources. All staff, including contractors and vendors with access to eCuras systems, are responsible for taking the appropriate steps, as outlined below, to select and secure their passwords.
This policy aims to establish a standard for creating strong passwords and the protection of those passwords.
The scope of this policy includes all personnel who have or are responsible for an account (or any form of access that supports or requires a password) on any system that resides at any eCuras facility, has to access to the eCuras network or stores any non-public eCuras information.
4.1 Password Creation
4.1.1 All user-level and system-level passwords must conform to the Password Construction Guidelines.
4.1.2 Users must use a separate, unique password for each of their work-related accounts. Users may not use any work-related passwords for their own personal accounts.
4.1.3 User accounts with system-level privileges granted through group memberships or programs such as sudo must have a unique password from all other accounts held by that user to access system-level privileges. Also, it is highly recommended that some form of multi-factor authentication is used for any privileged accounts
4.2 Password Change
4.2.1 Passwords should be changed only when there is reason to believe a password has been compromised.
4.2.2 Password cracking or guessing may be performed on a periodic or random basis by the Infosec Team or its delegates. If a password is guessed or cracked during one of these scans, the user will be required to change it to comply with the Password Construction Guidelines.
4.3 Password Protection
4.3.1 Passwords must not be shared with anyone, including supervisors and coworkers. All passwords are to be treated as sensitive, Confidential eCuras information. Corporate Information Security recognizes that legacy applications do not support proxy systems in place. Please refer to the technical reference for additional details.
4.3.2 Passwords must not be inserted into email messages, Alliance cases, or other forms of electronic communication, nor revealed over the phone to anyone.
4.3.3 Passwords may be stored only in “password managers” authorized by the organization.
4.3.4 Do not use the “Remember Password” feature of applications (for example, web browsers).
4.3.5 Any user suspecting that his/her password may have been compromised must report the incident and change all passwords.
4.4 Application Development
Application developers must ensure that their programs contain the following security precautions:
4.4.1 Applications must support the authentication of individual users, not groups.
4.4.2 Applications must not store passwords in clear text or any easily reversible form.
4.4.3 Applications must not transmit passwords in clear text over the network.
4.4.4 Applications must provide for some sort of role management, such that one user can take over the functions of another without knowing the other’s password.
4.5 Multi-Factor Authentication
4.5.1 Multi-factor authentication is highly encouraged and should be used whenever possible, not only for work-related accounts but also for personal accounts.
5.1 Compliance Measurement
The Infosec team will verify compliance with this policy through various methods, including but not limited to periodic walk-thrus, video monitoring, business tool reports, internal and external audits, and feedback to the policy owner.
5.2 Exceptions
The Infosec Team must approve any exception to the policy in advance.
5.3 Non-Compliance
An employee found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
10. Password Construction Guidelines
Revised: March 14th, 2018