Are you in violation?

  • Published
  • 23d Communications Squadron
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  How do you feel about being able to plug your cell phone into your computer to charge it, bringing your personal thumb drive in to upload pictures to use as your computer background, or your hard drive to listen to music? I would be all for it because I like to have music playing in the background and these options sound like a means of convenience, but unfortunately they are all prohibited acts. All of the above devices are considered to be unauthorized removable secondary storage devices (RSSDs) and cannot be connected to any government computer.

An unauthorized RSSD, also referred to as an external storage solution, is a secondary storage device that has not been scanned, recorded by your appointed Information Assurance Officer (IAO) and approved to be on the network. These devices include, but are not limited to, Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drives, memory sticks, flash memory cards, external hard drives, multifunction printers w/ memory card reader slots, cellular telephones, MP3 players, etc. IAW AFMAN 33-282, Computer Security, para 6.8.4, states, do not connect privately-owned media or peripheral devices (including, but not limited to, music/video CD/DVDs, i-devices, commercial MP3 players, and USB drives) to AF Information Systems (IS) and Government Furnished Equipment.

Users are required to take their DOD Information Assurance (IA) training and sign a Network User Agreement form to be allowed on the network. Each time you log on to your computer you receive the US Department of Defense Warning Statement and then an AFNOC NTO 2008-323-001 pop up that you have to click the "OK" button on. The first pop up informs you that you have to consent to monitoring to use the government computer and the second notice informs you that memory sticks, thumb drives, and camera flash memory cards are prohibited from being used in government computers.

Once you have consented to monitoring and connect a device to a government computer, that device is also subject to monitoring. The Wing Information Assurance Office (WIAO) along with the major command Communication Coordination Center are able to discover violators, report them to their respective IAO , and have the user's network account locked. Once the user's network account is locked they must contact their IAO to begin the process to regain their network access. Any user with a second offense must begin the process through their IAO and then have it signed/approved by their commander.

IAW AFMAN 33-282, Computer Security, para 6.8.1, states, violations of the IS user agreement and/or DOD IA training may result in the confiscation of personal hardware and software. If you must charge your cellular telephone, do so in the car or bring in your wall charger but do not connect it through the USB cord to your government computer.

Please leave your personal thumb drives and hard drives at home. If you require music to be played in the background, bring in a portable CD player or speakers for your MP3 player. Also remember, there are restrictions on cellular telephones in areas that process classified information, or have a classified computer, whether the equipment is on or off, in the immediate area. Wireless and Bluetooth devices, such as iPods, MP3 players, etc., are not allowed in areas where classified information is processed. If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact your organizational IAO or the WIAO at 229-257-4617.