Skip to content
  • Bucks for Students
    Enroll + Register
    • Academics
    • Admissions Information
    • Register for Courses
    • Placement Testing
    • Academic Advising
    • Majors + Certificates
    • College Catalog
    • Bucks Online
    • Honors at Bucks
    • Academic Schools
    • Student Forms

    Apply Now

    Planning + Payment
    • Financial Aid
    • Scholarships
    • Work Study Employment
    • Payment Options
    • Your Account
    • Tuition + Fees
    Transfer + Graduate
        • Transfer Information
        • Planning Your Transfer
        • Transfer by Institution
        • Transfer by Major
        • Graduation
        • Order a Transcript
        • Career Services
        • Digital Badges

    Life at Bucks
    • Student Affairs Office
    • First Year Experience
    • Student Life
    • Athletics
    • College Events
    • Fitness + Wellness
    • Art + Entertainment
    • Alumni
    • Parents + Families
    • Bucks+

    Basic Needs

    • Accessibility Resources
    • Campus Services
    • Canvas
    • Bucks Email
    • Change Password
    • Pay Tuition
    • Student Planning
    • Workday Student
    • MyBucks
     
  • Bucks for Community

    Classes + Activities

    Icon of a pencil and brush
    Personal Enrichment
    • Community+ Membership
    • Makerspace
    • Art + Photography
    • Culinary Classes
    • Empowering Minds: For 45+
    • English as a Second Language (ESL)
    • Health + Wellness
    • History
    • Special Interest & Personal Development
    • Home School
    • Languages
    • Music
    • Browse All Courses
    Icon of a sun
    Kids on Campus Programs
    • Kids Korner
    • Camps for Ages 5-6
    • Camps for Ages 7-9
    • Camps for Ages 10-12
    • Teen Experiences for Ages 13-17
    • Camp Information
    • Camp Scholarships
    • Preschool Summer Program
    • Register for Camp

    Events

    Arts + Culture
    • Art + Entertainment
    • Concerts
    • Foundation Events
    • Book Discussions
    • Wordsmiths

    Find Tickets

    Event Venues

    • Sculpture Walk
    • Zlock Performing Arts Center
      Zlock Performing Arts Center

    • The Gallery at Lower Bucks

    • Hicks Art Center Gallery
    • Bucks County Community College Fickes Gallery at Upper Bucks Campus
      Fickes Gallery at Upper Bucks
    Facilities
    • Facilities Rental

     
  • Bucks for Career
    Briefcase
    Career Development
    • Child Development Associate
    • Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
    • Educators (Act 48)
    • Esthetics
    • Floral Design
    • Human Resources
    • Locomotive Engineer
    • Nonprofit Management Series
    • Notary
    • Online Learning
    • More
    Fire extinguisher
    Fire + Public Safety
    • Public Safety Training + Certificate Course Schedule
    • Fire Training Weekends
    • Industrial Safety Training (OSHA)
    • Virtual Public Safety Training
    • Other Training + Resources
    • Training Facilities
    • More
    Heart with line
    Healthcare
    • CPR + First Aid Training
    • Dental Assistant
    • Nurse Aide
    • Nursing Review & Reentry
    • Practical Nursing
    • Pharmacy Technician
    • More
    Tools crossed
    Industrial + Manufacturing
    • Building & Construction Trades Pre-Apprenticeship
    • Metalwork Pre-Apprenticeship Training
    • Industrial Maintenance Pre-Apprenticeship
    • Electrical Training
    • Locomotive Engineer + Conductor
    • Welding Training
    • Workforce Development
    • More
    Man fixing server
    Information Technology
    • Beginner Computer Classes
    • Computer Aided Design
    • Cyber Security and Networking
    • Desktop Support
    • Microsoft Office Applications
    • Software Training
    • Certification Testing
     
  • Library
  • Calendar + News
  • Apply
  • MyBucks
Bucks County Community College

Policies + Procedures

sunny day outside of gateway center on newtown campus
  Policies + Procedures  —  Information Technology  —  Encryption

5.7 Encryption

I. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to define the requirements and guidelines for the use of encryption 
technologies on college Information Technology resources to protect the confidentiality of restricted 
information. This policy also increases awareness about the need to protect college restricted data.

II. Scope

This policy applies to all employees, agents, students, and representatives of the college who access and 
use college Information Technology resources and establishes the administrative and technical 
safeguards required for access and authentication. 

III. General

Definitions

Information Technology Resources – includes but is not limited to the following: computer and networking equipment, workstations, laptops, software, operating systems, storage devices and media, network accounts, email services and email accounts, Internet browsing and related services, voice mail, applications, scanning and fax systems, tablets, and smartphones.

Systems – same as Information Technology resources.

User – faculty, staff, employee, agent, authorized representative, or student that has access to college Information Technology resources.

Encryption – the process of scrambling or encoding data to offer protection against unauthorized users from accessing or manipulating it. It is a process by which data is transformed into a format that renders it unreadable without access to the encryption key and knowledge of the process used.

Encrypted Channel – communications that protect the data being transferred from one computer to another from viewing or alteration by an unauthorized person. Examples include websites that use https or ftps.

Encryption Key – a random string of bits created explicitly for scrambling and unscrambling data.

Whole Disk Encryption – a process in which the entire hard disk (or storage device) is encrypted thereby protecting all the data on the storage device.

Portable data-storage device – any portable device or storage medium capable of storing data. Examples include but are not limited to the following: laptop computer, smart phone, USB drive, CD ROM, or DVD.

Restricted Data - institutional data whose unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction could cause a significant level of risk to the college. Examples include but are not limited to: Social Security numbers, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Financial Aid data, proprietary college data, physical computing infrastructure and physical plant data.

Policy

  1. The college will employ reasonable encryption technologies in order to mitigate the risk of disclosure or alteration of college restricted data on all college owned Information Technology resources or services provided through outsourced third party providers.
  2. Credentialed passwords must be encrypted in transmission.
  3. Remote sessions to hosts storing restricted data must be encrypted through the use of secure protocols or applications (i.e. TLS/SSL).
  4. All laptops and workstations owned by the college must employ whole disk encryption to protect the institutional data of the college.
  5. All portable media containing college restricted data must employ encryption standards.
  6. All restricted data that is contained within an email, a document attached to an email, or is transmitted through a web portal must employ encryption technologies in order to protect data in transit.
  7. The transmission of unencrypted restricted data must take place via an encrypted channel. For example, an excel spreadsheet that contains Social Security numbers that is not encrypted with a password may be sent via encrypted channels (i.e. websites that use https or ftps).
  8. The transmission of encrypted restricted data may be transmitted via encrypted or unencrypted channels. For example, an excel spreadsheet that contains Social Security numbers that was encrypted with a password can be sent via any communication channel (i.e. websites that use http).
  9. As a best practice, it is strongly recommended to encrypt any file that contains restricted data over an encrypted channel.
  10. Email messages containing encrypted data may never include the password in the same message as the encrypted data.
  11. Any restricted data that is transmitted over public networks (i.e. wireless hotspots) must be encrypted.
  12. All data that is backed up to tape or other media for disaster recovery and business continuity objectives must be encrypted.
  13. Encryption keys are considered restricted data. Documented procedures for encryption key management will be maintained.

Exceptions

Files do not need to be encrypted when:

  • transmitted over the college wired local area network from one internal user to another
    internal user (i.e. internal email correspondence),
  • transmitted from one user to a college managed network drive,
  • sent from one user to the college authorized cloud based document repository.

IV. Procedures

Compliance

Information Technology Services staff will verify compliance to this policy through various methods, including but not limited to monitoring, business tool reports, internal and external audits, and feedback to the individual with responsibility for the policy.

Any user found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

V. Approval

President - November 21, 2019

VI. Responsibility

Vice President Technology & CTO

  • Responsible Use of Electronic Resources
  • Use of Information Network Services
  • Institutional Data Security & Protection Policy
  • End-Point Protection Policy
  • Clean Desk Policy
  • Incident Response
  • Encryption
  • Email Whitelisting and Quarantine Access Policy
  • Security Awareness Training Policy

Open Records Officer

Office of the President
215-968-8220 openrecords@bucks.edu Newtown

Fax: 215-698-8129

Contact the PA Office of Open Records
openrecords.pa.gov
717-346-9903

Open Records Officer

Office of the President
215-968-8220 openrecords@bucks.edu Newtown

Fax: 215-698-8129

Contact the PA Office of Open Records
openrecords.pa.gov
717-346-9903

circle logo
Newtown | 215-968-8000
275 Swamp Road, Newtown, PA 18940
Bristol | 267-685-4800
1304 Veterans Highway Bristol, PA 19007
Perkasie | 215-258-7700
One Hillendale Rd, Perkasie, PA 18944
Bucks Online | 215-968-8052
Learn from anywhere



  • Follow Us on Instagram
  • Like Us on Facebook
  • Follow Us on Tiktok
  • Watch Us on YouTube

© Bucks County Community College.
All rights reserved.

Find Campus Services

  • Accessibility - TAO
  • Admissions
  • Advising
  • Basic Needs
  • Bookstore
  • Career + Job Resources
  • Catalog
  • Collegiate Recovery Program
  • Counseling
  • Dining
  • Early Learning Center
  • ESL Programs
  • Financial Aid
  • Fitness and Wellness
  • IT Help Desk
  • KEYS Program
  • Library
  • Media Lab
  • Perkins
  • Prior Learning Assessment
  • Registrar
  • Security + Safety
  • Success Advocates
  • Testing 
  • Transfer + Planning
  • Tutoring
  • Veteran Resources

Faculty + Staff Resources

  • MyBucks
  • Office 365
  • Canvas
  • Faculty Center
  • Faculty Online Resources
  • Professional Development

Get Involved

  • Arts + Entertainment
  • Athletics
  • Bucks+
  • Calendar + News
  • Event Tickets
  • Lectures + Conferences
  • Student Life

Read Notices + Policies

  • Academic Policies
  • Student Policies
  • Human Resources Policies
  • Information Technology
  • Administration
  • Advancement
  • Consumer Information
  • Disclaimers
  • Holiday Statement
  • Notice of Non-Discrimination
  • Web Accessibility

Advancement + Alumni

  • Give
  • Alumni
  • Board of Directors
  • Scholarships
  • Special Events

Explore Campus

  • Bucks Online
  • Newtown Campus
  • Lower Bucks Campus
  • Upper Bucks Campus
  • Parking
  • Facilities Rental
  • Weddings in Tyler Gardens
  • Purchasing
  • Sustainability
  • Emergency Closing Information

Find Jobs

  • Student + Work-Study Employment
  • Faculty + Staff Employment

Discover Bucks

  • Accreditations
  • Mission + Vision
  • Board of Trustees
  • Office of the President
  • Government & Community Relations
  • Strategic Plan
  • History

Contact Us

  • Ways to Contact Us
  • Department + Office Directory
  • Faculty + Staff Directory
  • Social Media
  • Report an Issue
  • Order a Transcript
  • Emergency Text Alerts
  • System Status