Yes, it can!

Have you ever tried to access an online resource, only to find that it’s unavailable? Publishers frequently have to cut Dalhousie Libraries’ access to electronic journals and databases because of suspected or actual fraudulent activity associated with weak or shared passwords. When access is cut, everyone at Dal is affected. The Resources and Academic Technology Services teams of the Dal Libraries work as quickly as possible to restore access, but even then it can take several days.

The Dalhousie Libraries sign licence agreements with many publishers — these licences are a key part of providing access to databases, journals, and ebooks. The licences include clauses that allow publishers to temporarily shut down Dalhousie’s electronic access if they suspect hacking, fraudulent downloading, or other misuses of their site. Most publishers monitor activity on their sites and when they see unusual download patterns from a Dalhousie account, they shut down access to every single Dalhousie user until we can address their concerns.

A common cause of misuse of publishers’ sites is when a NetID and password are stolen as a result of a phishing email. A phishing email tricks people into sending their credentials to a fake website posing as a trusted one. Another common cause of misuse of publishers’ sites is password sharing.

Keep your password safe. Never share it and never respond to emails requesting confidential information such as passwords. Banks, governments and Dalhousie will never ask for your password in an email.

Need to reset your password? Do it here: https://password.dal.ca/

Guidance on what makes a good password: https://www.dal.ca/dept/its/security/topics/passwords.html