Mississippi State University (MSU) necessarily maintains a large amount of sensitive information ranging from personal information about employees and students to research data. Protection of this information from leaks, compromises, and natural or man-made disasters is of paramount importance. As access to information via the Internet has become commonplace, so have the associated risks of maintaining and providing appropriate access to sensitive information. In response to these ever-increasing threats, MSU has adopted strict policies, implemented stringent procedures, and adopted industry best practices aimed at significantly reducing the risk of compromise of sensitive information.
MSU's Information Security Policy, OP 01.10, prescribes programs, procedures, and best practices to maintain the overall information security posture of the university at the highest level, while the policy on Social Security Number Usage, OP 01.23, addresses security issues and procedures surrounding this particularly sensitive and problematic personal identifier. As the institution strives to maintain the highest level of protection for sensitive information which it holds, it also provides personal identity protection information and resources and strongly advocates that its employees and students become educated to the dangers of identify theft and proactively take steps aimed to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim.