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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2002 Security Experts Hack Military PCs NIPC Looks for Help Government Continues to Lose Computers AND Students Prefer Paper to Online News Report Says Employees Lack Technology Skills Purdue Offers Web Site for Farmers SECURITY EXPERTS HACK MILITARY PCS Security experts at ForensicTec Solutions, a four-month old security consulting firm, were able to gain access to several military PCs around the country. A representative of the company said, "We were shocked and almost scared by how easy it was to get in." Among the data that the experts found were personnel records containing Social Security numbers, security clearance levels, and credit card numbers; vendor records including company bank account and financial routing numbers; and an air support squadron's "smart book" that details radio encryption techniques. Military sources acknowledged the break-in, saying all of the exposed data were unclassified. Officials said the military is working to secure all data and computers, including those connected to the Internet and other public networks. The president of ForensicTec said his company pursued the intrusion and reported the problems to alert the government of the weakness and to "get some positive exposure" for the company. Washington Post, 16 August 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24191-2002Aug15.html NIPC LOOKS FOR HELP The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), the division of the FBI responsible for cybersecurity, is looking for help in identifying and addressing attacks on the information infrastructure. Widely regarded as being relatively less effective than private organizations at assessing threats, the NIPC seeks an unspecified number of contractors skilled in analysis of threats and issuing appropriate warnings. According to security expert Ryan Russell, the NIPC's warnings "tend to be a bit late and not contain a lot of detail." Russell added, though, that because it has access to certain data that other security companies do not see, the NIPC is sometimes the only agency to report an incident. NewsFactor Network, 16 August 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19059.html GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO LOSE COMPUTERS The IRS loaned 6,600 laptop and desktop computers to volunteers who helped certain people, including the elderly and people with disabilities, complete their taxes. An audit, however, showed that an unknown number of those computers have gone missing. Other recent disclosures indicate that the Customs Service lost about 2,000 computers, the Justice Department 400, and other IRS programs another 2,300. The computers used by the IRS contain personal information and tax records, data that is extremely valuable to identity thieves. In response to the audit, Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to the White House calling for a "government-wide effort" to prevent computers from being lost, stolen, or misplaced. Nando Times, 16 August 2002 http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/501444p-3996250c.html AND ***************************************************** STUDENTS PREFER PAPER TO ONLINE NEWS Despite U.S. colleges' inclination to add computer technology to many, or most, aspects of campus life, most students still prefer printed campus newspapers over their online counterparts. Editors of campus papers, college and university officials, and analysts all report that, when given a choice, more students will grab a printed edition rather than read the paper online. Those schools with significant hits on their papers' Web sites indicate that a majority of those visitors are from parents, alumni, and others outside the campus community. Because of the lower readership, advertisers shy away from online papers, even when extra incentives are offered. Many campuses report making no money from online advertising; the University of Arizona noted that its online advertising revenue was $30,000, while revenue from print ads was about $1.3 million. New York Times, 19 August 2002 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/19/technology/19PAPE.html REPORT SAYS EMPLOYEES LACK TECHNOLOGY SKILLS A report issued by the National Policy Association says that despite the current slump in technology jobs, the real problem is a shortage of skills. According to James Auerbach of the association, when the economy picks up, "we will have the same shortage we did two to three years ago." The report notes that although employers can be more selective in the current market, there remains a greater demand for applicants with certain skills than are available. Jack Scott, a technical adviser on curriculum for the School of Technology at Claremont Graduate University and vice president and CIO at The viaLink Company, said the skills gap is in part a result of declining numbers of computer science graduates from U.S. higher education. Scott said that unlike the '80s and '90s, when computer science was a "sexy" field to enter, many U.S. students today are opting instead for business career paths. Technology skills, he said, have shifted to countries such as China and India, which have invested in developing home-grown technical expertise. NewsFactor Network, 19 August 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/19062.html PURDUE OFFERS WEB SITE FOR FARMERS A new Web site from three researchers at Purdue University offers advice about retirement to farmers, who typically keep working well beyond the usual retirement age. The Retirement Estimator for Farm Families offers a step-by-step process for estimating needed income and potential revenue from selling farmland, machinery, crops, and other assets. The site also considers such factors as costs of operating a farm, concerns of family members who might want to take over the farm, and income from work done off the farm. The researchers hope that since many farmers are already accustomed to using the Internet for weather and crop or stock prices, they will be drawn to the site. Associated Press, 19 August 2002 http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/503411p-4013108c.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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