CERN Computer Security Announcements

(Previous announcements are here.)

New CERN Single Sign-On (SSO) Portal

One fundamental pillar for securing CERN and its digital assets is their protection against any unauthorized accesses. For any web application, this protection is since long centrally governed by CERN’s Single Sign-On (SSO) webpage asking for your one and only CERN password. The new year 2020 will bring a new look (and functionality) to that Single Sign-On page.

In order to avoid that you confuse the new CERN SSO page with fake & malicious phishing sites, have a look, here it is:

As most important security feature, as the look & feel can easily be spoofed, check the URL bar in the top of your browser. The URL should start with “auth.cern.ch” or, ideally, “https://auth.cern.ch” and be accompanied with a small lock icon showing that your communication is encrypted and that the corresponding certificate is valid. Any other webpage asking for your CERN password but this new one as well as the current “old” one (https://login.cern.ch) should be treated with caution and be reported to us Computer.Security@cern.ch. Similarly, if you see any error message popping up before that page displays, please let us know, too.

Security needs you

"Academic freedom is a valuable thing, but like any kind of freedom, it comes with responsibility... It is the responsibility of all of us, not just the experts in the IT Department, to protect our IT infrastructure while striking the right balance between security, academic freedom and the unfettered operation of our facilities... At CERN, security is not complete without you."

(Read more in the CERN Bulletin)

Overview

At CERN, due to its unique academic environment and the associated academic freedom, computer security has been delegated to CERN's users:

At CERN, the individual users are in first instance responsible for securing their computers, networks, data, systems & services.

The Computer Security Team - and the IT department - are ready to help users assuming this responsibility assist you in this. On this Web site, you can find

  • The CERN Computing Rules, i.e. the "Dos" and "Don'ts" for using CERN's computing facilities;
  • Recommendations, i.e. tips, hints & best practises intended to helping you to properly assume this responsibility;
  • Training courses and material for starters & experts;
  • Security Services provided for you by the Computer Security Team; and
  • Reports & Presentations featuring monthly reports, theses, reports from conferences, dedicated presentations & much more.