Changes to top-level home directory permissions: Proactive security measures

The team at the Center for High Performance Computing is proactively changing the permissions of home directories in the General Environment. We will automatically update home directories to remove write permissions from groups (g-w) and all permissions from other users (o-rwx) in mid-August. (This change will not affect the "public_html" directory for researchers hosting web content from home directories.) This will improve the security posture of CHPC systems, particularly as automated and sophisticated cyberattacks become increasingly common.

This change will not affect group spaces. Additionally, it will not affect the Protected Environment or other secure research computing systems, where similar measures are already in place.

In cases where there is a legitimate need to share home directory contents in the General Environment, the CHPC can assist with managing Access Control Lists (ACLs) to facilitate access. If you have any questions or concerns about this change or potential impacts, please contact helpdesk@chpc.utah.edu.

Thank you for your patience with recent security updates and changes on CHPC systems.