The lab provides a tool called Spirion that searches for and can remove any Protected Information from computers. Protected Information includes Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Personal Health Information (PHI). Berkeley Lab defines the following data, alone or in combination, as Protected Information:
Social security numbers
Financial account information
Drivers license numbers
California state ID number
Health information with personal identifiers, for example:
Name plus insurance number
Employee ID plus treatment information
Any unique ID plus any medical information
It is against lab policy to have Protected Information on laptops, desktops and removable media. Protected Information is only allowed on Institutional Business Systems (FMS, HRIS, etc.).
Spirion is free for all employees and affiliates. The software can be downloaded from https://software.lbl.gov under Security Software. Spirion is available for Windows and Macs.
For certain organizations (e.g. – OCFO, HR), Spirion is part of their required annual training course, SEC 0221. Although not required for everyone, everyone is welcome to install and run this tool on their computers. For instructions on how to install and use Spirion, see:
(Windows) Spirion for Windows
(Mac) Spirion for Mac OS X
*** For Mac OS X users ***
To prevent the Spirion search from pausing:
1. Turn off sleep (System Preferences-> Energy Saver-> move slider for “Computer sleep” to “Never”)
2. DO NOT lock computer using Keychain Access
3. Turn off screen saver (System Preferences-> Desktop & Screen Saver-> click the drop-down for “Start after” and select “Never”)
If you require assistance with Spirion, please contact the help desk at x4357 or [email protected].
