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Security/Privacy

Spy, Defense Agencies Recruit Security Talent at DefCon

9/14/2007

Federal law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies sent representatives to one of the world's biggest hacking conventions, in part to recruit gifted computer security aficionados to join the United States government and military ranks.

MySpace Hacker's Profile Deleted After DefCon Demo

9/14/2007

A demonstration by University of Akron student Rick Deacon on ways to hack MySpace accounts backfired when Deacon discovered that his own account was disabled immediately following his presentation at the recent DefCon computer security conference in Las Vegas.

Michigan Prof Pushes Quantum Computing, Code Breaking

9/13/2007

University of Michigan researchers are working on new optical technology that could lead to the faster development of quantum computers and ultimately to tougher data security techniques and faster encryption cracking.

St. Mary's U Gets Federal Grant To Open CompSec Lab

9/13/2007

St. Mary's University in Texas won an $87,000 grant from the United States Department of Education's Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program to help develop a computer security lab at the school.

Higher Ed Wrestles with Risks of Removable Storage

9/13/2007

Like IT managers across corporate America, campus IT managers are trying to solve the problem of securing removable storage devices in an open environment like a university.

Victoria U Honeypot Tech Leads to Net Attack Study

9/13/2007

The international Honeynet Project, a research consortium formed to share computer threat information and solutions, is using a behavioral analysis tool developed at New Zealand's Victoria University to study Web-based security attacks.

Indiana CompSec Staff Give Phishing Lessons at State Fair

9/12/2007

Representatives from Indiana University's School of Informatics went to this summer's Indiana state fair to offer phishing lessons: education in computer security techniques designed to help people better safeguard personal information on their computers.

Judge Deals Setback to Ohio U Computer Hacking Victims

9/11/2007

A lawyer for two Ohio University alumni who sued the school over losing their personal data in a computer security breach said that a judge's decision to throw out the case is typical of how courts are dealing with the growing problem of computer data theft.

Text Messaging Signups Surge at CU Boulder

9/5/2007

A new text messaging service set up by the University of Colorado at Boulder saw an enormous spike in enrollment following a stabbing on campus, Monday, Aug. 27. About 30 minutes after the incident, staff used the system to alert students. This service was launched as recently as Aug. 23 of this year.

Notre Dame Speeds Launch of Crisis Notification System

9/4/2007

The University of Notre Dame will launch a mass notification system this fall to enable administrators to notify students of a campus emergency via e-mail, text message, and voice mail. Notre Dame's Office of Information Technologies had originally planned to conduct a pilot project of the system but sped up its plans following April's shootings at Virginia Tech.

On-Net Adds Audio Event Alerts to Surveillance System

8/31/2007

On-Net Surveillance Systems is adding a new audio feature to its IP-based video surveillance suite: audio monitoring coupled with the ability to send alerts and automate activities based on certain types of detected audio, such as gunshots or screams.

One More Year, and 'The Technology is [Still] the Easy Part!'

8/30/2007

One of the more challenging parts of working within a higher education institution, especially (but not only) in the information technology arena, is coping with what the students "bring with them" to campus.

2 Universities Secure Data Using SafeGuard

8/29/2007

The George Washington University and the University of San Francisco has deployed data security using Utimaco Safeware's SafeGuard offerings.

Virginia Tech Reports on IT Performance During Shootings

8/28/2007

An internal review of Virginia Tech's information and communications infrastructure in the wake of the April shootings found that the campus telecommunication systems were "dramatically stressed during the initial response period but performed adequately," according to a report in The Roanoke Times.

Ivy Tech Deploys Emergency Alerts

8/23/2007

Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana is deploying a new emergency alert system for its Indianapolis campus. The system will be used to "instantly notify students and staff in the Indianapolis metro area of emergencies, weather alerts, closings, and even class-related information," according to a release issued by Ivy Tech.

UKY Debuts 21st Century Parking Enforcement

8/22/2007

With the possible exception of the Bluegrass State's most cunning hot rodders, Bo and Luke Duke, the University of Kentucky's Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) department should be nabbing more drivers with multiple unpaid tickets.

Wayne State Launches Emergency Text Messaging System

8/20/2007

Following the example of colleges and universities across the United States, Wayne State University launched an emergency broadcast service that can send warning messages directly to students' cell phones.

Bridgewater State Deploys Alert System

8/17/2007

Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts will deploy Honeywell's new Instant Alert Plus, a system designed to send out alerts to students, faculty, and staff in times of emergency. The "Plus" version of Instand alert is a Web-based notification system that can, according to Honeywell, deliver 100,000 30-second phone calls and 125,000 text messages in 15 minutes.

Experts Explain How Students Can Protect Data

8/16/2007

As Fall semester approaches, higher education institutions will be exposed to further risk as an influx of new student PCs and laptops make their way onto campuses nationwide.

Harvard Net Admin: Don't Do Banking From Starbucks

8/13/2007

The head of Harvard University's network operations told state legislators last week that electronic eavesdroppers currently have the upper hand in the battle to secure wireless Internet networks, the Associated Press reported.

Oxford Study: Public Has False Sense of 'Net Security

8/10/2007

A study by Oxford University researchers of Internet usage in the UK shows that the British public generally underestimates the degree to which they are at risk during electronic transactions. The study, titled "The Internet in Britain: 2007," was conducted by the Oxford Internet Institute, which studies the social context of Internet usage.

Carleton Student Awarded Best Paper on 'Usable Security'

8/10/2007

Sonia Chiasson, a Ph.D. student in computer science at the Human Oriented Technology Lab (HotLab) at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, was awarded the prize for best paper at the Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) at CMU.

European Union Sponsors Global Malware Study

8/10/2007

The European Union has awarded a group of academic and commercial researchers a $7.1 million grant to analyze data on global malware activity and trends, according to Stephano Zanero, a researcher at the Italian university Politecno de Milano, who is helping lead the three-year project.

Penn State Researcher Posts Marine Corps SSNs

8/10/2007

A Penn State researcher in June accidentally posted the names and personal data of about 8,400 United States Marines, the university confirmed last week.

UNC Research: Malware Now a Sophisticated Industry

8/10/2007

A study by a criminal justice professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte has found that selling malware has become a sophisticated business supported by advertising, marketing, and support services. UNCC Assistant Professor Thomas Holt said the study was based on research on 30 different hacker forums around the world but focused on six forums, including ones hosted in eastern Europe.