Policies & Procedures

I. DEFINITIONS

1. Proprietary Encryption: An algorithm that has not been made public and/or has not withstood public scrutiny. The developer of the algorithm could be a vendor, an individual or the government.
2. Encryption Key: A piece of information used to encode or decode data with a cryptographic algorithm.

II. POLICY OWNER

The Vice President for Strategic Operations oversees this policy. Information Technology Services (ITS) is responsible for monitoring compliance with the policy and taking any necessary corrective action.

III. PURPOSE

The primary purpose of this policy is to protect restricted data, as defined by the Data Classification Policy, by limiting the use of encryption to those algorithms that have received substantial public review and have been proven to work effectively while setting standards for all use of encryption, and to identify federal exportation regulations regarding encryption technologies.

IV. POLICY

1. All use of encryption technology must be managed in a manner that permits properly designated university officials prompt access to all data, including for purposes of investigation and business continuity.
   1. Encryption keys and their backups must be retained for the lifetime of the encrypted data.
   2. Encryption key management procedures must be in place to ensure integrity and recovery of encryption keys.
2. No encryption technology other than that approved and distributed by Information Technology Services (ITS) may be used to protect restricted data.
3. ITS will provide:
   1. minimum encryption standards
   2. encryption key management standards
4. Proven, standard algorithms should be used as the basis for encryption technologies. These algorithms represent the actual cipher used for an approved application.
5. The use of proprietary encryption algorithms is not allowed, unless reviewed by qualified experts outside of the vendor in question and approved by the Information Security Office.
6. Acknowledgement of Federal Exportation Regulations:
   Be aware that the export of encryption technologies is restricted by the U.S. government. Residents of countries other than the United States should make themselves aware of the encryption technology laws of the country in which they reside.

V. PROCEDURES

Minimum Encryption Standards and Encryption Key Management Standards are associated with this policy. Related policies, standards and guidelines may be maintained internally by Information Technology Services.

VI. ENFORCEMENT

The university regards any violation of this policy as a serious offense. Violators of this policy are subject to disciplinary action, in addition to possible cancellation of IT resources and systems access privileges. Users of IT resources and systems at Longwood are subject to all applicable local, state and federal statutes. This policy does not preclude prosecution of criminal and civil cases under relevant local, state, federal and international laws and regulations.

Approved by the Board of Visitors, March 20, 2004.
Revised, April 1, 2005.
Revised and approved by the Board of Visitors, September 15, 2006.
Revised and approved by the Board of Visitors, September 12, 2008.
Revised and approved by the Board of Visitors, March 27, 2009.
Revised and approved by the Board of Visitors, March 25, 2011.
Revised and approved by the Board of Visitors, September 14, 2012.
Revised and approved by the Board of Visitors, June 11, 2021.