Re: Staff Directory on Web

[randy <marchany () VT EDU>]

I don't like having staff directories behind a login page. For example, I
was trying to contact my counterpart at another EDU about a security issue
but didn't have their contact info. Couldn't go to their directory because
it was behind a portal.
We forget sometimes the directory is not so much for internal people as it
is for external.

Having said that, if you tell your faculty/staff their work contact info is
available to the web, you'll find people being more careful in small ways,
because they know they could be the target of a phish/scam. City dwellers
are less trusting than country dwellers. :-).
Thinking you're safe from scammers because your staff directory is private
is a false assumption. Anyone who's done a talk at a seminar, webcast,
conference, etc. who put up a contact info slide in your deck has made
their work info public :-)

-Randy Marchany
VA Tech IT Security Office and Lab

On Thu, Jun 24, 2021 at 1:56 PM Barton, Robert W. <bartonrt () lewisu edu>
wrote:

> Afternoon,
>
> There is a little debate going here on IF our directory of employees
> (name, number, email, department) should be available to the web.  One side
> looks at it as we are being transparent, and it is good "marketing".  The
> other side is looking at it like we are releasing to much information
> (making it easier for a hacker to find targets) and making it easy for
> SPAMers.  Has anybody had this conversation before?  Anybody have an
> article that says one or the other?
>
> As I search around, I'm seeing colleges/universities that go both ways.
>
> Robert W. Barton
> Executive Director of Information Security & Policy
> Lewis University
> 1 University Parkway
> Romeoville, IL  60446-2200
> 815-836-5663
>
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