News for and about the Internet2 community

["Valerie Vogel" <>]

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Rodney Petersen
Government Relations Officer and Director of EDUCAUSE Cybersecurity
Initiative
EDUCAUSE

(202) 331-5368

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HIGHER EDUCATION POSTER & VIDEO CONTEST PROVIDES NEW RESOURCES FOR
NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS MONTH
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The Higher Education Information Security Council (formerly the
EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Computer and Network Security Task Force), the
National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), CyberWATCH, and the
ResearchChannel have announced ten winners of a computer security
awareness poster and video contest as part of a national campaign to
raise awareness of and increase computer security at colleges and
universities. These new resources, available from ResearchChannel's
website http://www.researchchannel.org/securityvideo2009/, can be used
in campus security awareness campaigns during student orientation;
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
http://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam, which is held annually in October;
and throughout the year.

The short videos and public service announcements use creative
storytelling and student actors to demonstrate computer security risks
and actions students should take to protect their computers, campus
networks, and personal information. The posters cleverly illustrate
these same cybersecurity risks that students and others on campus may
face.

"This contest is a true testament to the ability of young adults to
educate their peers in a creative and compelling way," said Michael
Kaiser, Executive Director, NCSA. "NCSA was thrilled to be a part of
this effort and commends the Information Security Council for their work
to raise cybersecurity awareness among students."

Rodney Petersen, EDUCAUSE Cybersecurity Initiative Director added, "The
higher education community is known for its willingness to collaborate
and share information. This initiative is another example of how we can
work together to solve a common challenge -- promoting awareness on
safeguarding our cyber assets."

Dr. Robert J. Spear, CyberWATCH PI and Director, said, "The Information
Security Council's leadership has allowed this year's contest, which
CyberWATCH initiated as a regional competition, to become national in
scope, thereby encouraging many more students and colleges to
participate. All gain greater knowledge about the need to be security
conscious, and some participants start thinking about information
assurance as a career field. All of this, of course, is wonderful."

This year's winners include: 

* Cyber Security Awareness, by Nathan Krochmal, Grand Valley State
  University (Michigan)
* 10 Most Common Passwords, by Lenae Boykin, Texas A&M University
* Z-bay, by Lenae Boykin, Texas A&M University Icon Ninjas, by Jake
  Tobin, Cabrillo College (California)
* Vanished, Erased, Gone, by Hillary Luvshis & Matt Crescenzo,
  University of Delaware
* Strong Passwords, by Nicholas Wetzel, Ohio University
* Securing Your Computer Simply, by Chris Wetzel, Ohio Northern
  University
* Is Your Computer Healthy?, by Jacobus van der Ven, Hamilton College
  (New York)
* Defend Your Identity, by Clarence Chase, Prince George's Community
  College (Maryland)
* Poison Apple-Looks Can Be Deceiving, by Kira Espenilla, Mt. San
  Antonio College (California)

"This contest is a great way to engage students in cybersecurity
awareness," said Amy Philipson, ResearchChannel CEO. "ResearchChannel is
proud to be able to share these informative and engaging videos with a
larger audience through our national cable and satellite channel."

Visit http://www.educause.edu/security to view the Higher Education
Information Security Council's extensive security resources. The
National Cyber Security Awareness Month resource kit
http://www.educause.edu/security/resourcekit helps higher education
institutions prepare campus security awareness events each October.

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About EDUCAUSE
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association and the foremost community of IT
leaders and professionals committed to advancing higher education.
EDUCAUSE programs and services are focused on analysis, advocacy,
community building, professional development, and knowledge creation
because IT plays a transformative role in higher education. EDUCAUSE
supports those who lead, manage, and use information technology through
a comprehensive range of resources and activities. For more information:
http://www.educause.edu.

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About Internet2
Led by the research and education community since 1996, Internet2
promotes the missions of its members by providing both leading-edge
network capabilities and unique partnership opportunities that together
facilitate the development, deployment and use of revolutionary Internet
technologies. Internet2 brings the U.S. research and academic community
together with technology leaders from industry, government and the
international community to undertake collaborative efforts that have a
fundamental impact on tomorrow's Internet.
For more information: http://www.internet2.edu.

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About CyberWATCH
CyberWATCH started as a consortium of higher education institutions,
businesses, and government agencies in the Washington
D.C./Maryland/Virginia region that is focused on building and
maintaining a stronger information security/assurance workforce.
CyberWATCH has expanded to twenty nine (29) members across our nation
with plans on increasing yet ten fold over the next few years. In
addition, CyberWATCH is committed to improving the quality and
increasing the awareness of information security/assurance in the
education and business communities. Consortium members collaborate to
share best practices, methodologies, curricula, course modules and
materials, and provide faculty training and support to schools who want
to develop an information security/assurance curriculum. CyberWATCH is
funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). For more
information:
http://www.cyberwatchcenter.org/.

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About The National Cyber Security Alliance The National Cyber Security
Alliance is a nonprofit organization. Through collaboration with the
government, corporate, nonprofit and academic sectors, the mission of
the NCSA is to empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely
and safely protecting themselves and the cyber infrastructure. NCSA
works to create a culture of cybersecurity and safety through education
and awareness activities. Visit http://www.staysafeonline.org for more
information.

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About ResearchChannel
ResearchChannel is a consortium of leading research and academic
institutions founded as a way to share breakthrough research with the
public. Hosted at the University of Washington, remarkable speakers,
researchers and scholars present revolutionary thoughts and discoveries
through ResearchChannel's online, on-air and mobile distribution
platforms.

ResearchChannel reaches 38 million homes worldwide via cable, satellite
and video-on-demand television. Through numerous online outlets, our
audience accesses 8.2 million videos online annually. Viewers from 210
countries visit researchchannel.org to choose from our online library of
more than 4,000 programs.

The University of Michigan, the George Mason University and the National
Science Foundation are just a few of the world-renowned institutions
that participate and whose programs are featured. Topics range from
cutting-edge technology and science innovations to fascinating arts and
humanities subjects.
For more information: http://www.researchchannel.org.