Electronic resources security: a look at unauthorized users

Abstract

Much of the literature written on electronic resources security focuses on systematic downloading. However, when the unauthorized use from two cases of stolen identities at the University of Saskatchewan was studied in more depth, a different pattern emerged. By analyzing proxy server data, we found that the unauthorized use was coming from all over the world, was focused on science, technology and medical resources, and included both small-scale and excessive downloading. This article outlines some steps that libraries can take to detect and prevent small-scale unauthorized use and implications as libraries move towards Shibboleth authentication.