News for and about the Internet2 community

["Michelle Pollak" <>]

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES RECOGNIZE CYBER SECURITY DAY WITH CAMPUS EVENTS

Washington, D.C., March 26, 2004--Setting your clocks forward or back for 
Daylight Saving Time and replacing the batteries in smoke
detectors are rituals repeated every spring and fall. Similarly, the National 
Cyber Security Alliance
(<http://www.staysafeonline.info>) established April 4, 2004, as Cyber 
Security Day to raise awareness about Internet safety and
computer security issues. Colleges and universities across the country are 
planning security education and awareness events between
March 29 and April 2 to help promote Cyber Security Day.

Rutgers University is encouraging its students, faculty, and staff to "Spring 
Ahead to Security!!" on a Web site devoted to National
Cyber Security Day (<http://rusecure.rutgers.edu/cybersecurityday/>). In 
addition to campus presentations on identity theft, the Web
site suggests steps that the campus community can take "in the quest for 
better security" such as using antivirus software and
keeping it up-to-date weekly, exercising caution when opening e-mail 
attachments, selecting hard-to-guess passwords and keeping them
private, backing up important files, downloading and installing operating 
system update patches, avoiding risks of file sharing,
using a password-protected screensaver, locking up computers when not in use, 
and using a firewall to protect computers from
intruders. Lance D. Jordan, director of Information Protection and Security 
at Rutgers, said, "Providing personal information over
the Internet has become a risky proposition and our community needs to be 
aware of the risks and protective measures that are easily
practiced to surf cyberspace safely."

The George Mason University IT Security Office is featuring a week-long 
lineup of lunchtime presentations promoting cyber security
awareness (<http://security.gmu.edu/nationalcybersecurityday.html>). Topics 
include network security and denial-of-service attacks,
desktop strategies to secure your cyberspace, file sharing, and more. Joy 
Hughes, CIO and vice president for Information Technology
at George Mason, believes that it is important for faculty, staff, and 
students to have a role in planning security awareness
events. She said, "Our workshop content is determined by consulting with the 
members of the university-wide Systems Administrators'
Leadership Team; the Security Review Panel; and other faculty, staff, and 
student groups working to improve security."

The University of Arizona developed a series of humorous posters to reinforce 
messages that are designed to prevent identity theft
and other consequences of improperly secured computers 
(<http://security.arizona.edu/posters.html>). The slogan for the Arizona
campaign emphasizes that the key to security is derived from the word itself: 
sec-U-R-IT-y. In other words, "You Are It!" Kelley
Bogart, an analyst in the Information Security Office at the University of 
Arizona, is co-chair of the Education and Awareness
Working Group of the EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Computer and Network Security Task 
Force that is encouraging higher education institutions
to hold events in conjunction with Cyber Security Day. "We want information 
technology users to understand that they are part of the
solution. Although good security should be practiced every day throughout the 
year, we believe there is benefit in colleges and
universities participating in a national campaign that focuses everyone's 
attention on the critical problems
associated with information security," Bogart said.

Shirley Payne, director of Security Coordination and Policy in the Office of 
Information Technologies at the University of Virginia
and a member of the Security Task Force Education and Awareness Working 
Group, remarked, "Think of this scenario: The CEO of a major
corporation is hearing about cyber security at work. When she gets home, her 
young son shows her a poster he's crafted to submit to
a cyber security poster contest. Turning on the TV, she sees a public service 
announcement concerning the need to secure her home
computer, and driving to work the next day, she hears an NPR interview on the 
great successes of higher education in reducing the
impact of viruses and worms." Payne has published on the topic of developing 
campus-wide security education and awareness in
"EDUCAUSE Quarterly" (<http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EQM0347.pdf>) 
and in a new book entitled "Computer and Network
Security in Higher Education." The University of Virginia is also part of the 
Virginia Alliance for Secure Computing and Networking
(VASCAN) that has compiled a collection of security tools and best practices 
from Virginia universities
(<http://www.vascan.org/categories/security_awareness.html>).

The EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Security Task Force is a sponsor of the National Cyber 
Security Alliance and supports efforts to promote
online safety and create security awareness among the general public. The 
Security Task Force also contributed to the Awareness and
Outreach Task Force report released on March 18 by the National Cyber 
Security Partnership (<http://www.cyberpartnership.org/>). The
Security Task Force is fulfilling one of the recommendations of the report by 
encouraging and supporting events at higher education
institutions that observe Cyber Security Day. The next Cyber Security Day 
will be on October 31, 2004.

********************************
ABOUT EDUCAUSE
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher 
education by promoting the intelligent use of information
technology. The current membership comprises nearly 1,900 colleges, 
universities, and education organizations, including more than
170 corporations. EDUCAUSE has offices in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, 
D.C. Learn more about EDUCAUSE at
<http://www.educause.edu/about/>.

ABOUT INTERNET2
Led by more than 200 U.S. universities, working with industry and government, 
Internet2 develops and deploys advanced network
applications and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating 
the creation of tomorrow's Internet. Internet2
recreates the partnerships among academia, industry, and government that 
helped foster today's Internet in its infancy. For more
information about Internet2, see <http://www.internet2.edu>.

Contacts:
Rodney Petersen
Policy Analyst and Security Task Force Coordinator
EDUCAUSE

202-331-5368

Michelle Pollak
Media Relations Manager
Internet2

202-331-5345