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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2005 Companies Point to Education for Poor Security Training Gates Promises New IE, Free Antispyware Online Program Evaluates Students' Use of Marijuana COMPANIES POINT TO EDUCATION FOR POOR SECURITY TRAINING In a panel discussion at the Secure Software Forum in San Francisco, a number of major software makers pointed to inadequate security training at colleges and universities as a main reason software continues to be plagued with security flaws. Mary Ann Davidson, chief security officer at Oracle, said, "Unfortunately, if you are a vendor, you have to train your developers until the universities start doing it." Although other problems were identified, including a lack of sophisticated, automated tools to identify flaws, representatives of other software companies included in the panel agreed that at least some of the blame falls on colleges and universities for not providing graduates with sufficient understanding of security issues. Fred Rica, a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers' Threat and Vulnerability Assessment Services, disagreed, saying that "Functionality still trumps security." When companies must decide how to allocate development money, he said, they choose new features over security for existing applications. A study by Gartner noted that although companies cite lack of skills among developers as a significant problem, those same companies put relatively little funding into training programs. CNET, 16 February 2005 http://news.com.com/2100-1002_3-5579014.html GATES PROMISES NEW IE, FREE ANTISPYWARE Speaking at a computer-security conference in San Francisco, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates outlined a number of steps the company will take to address growing security concerns over its products. This summer, Microsoft will release a test version of Internet Explorer 7, the first major update of its browser in four years. Microsoft's browser has been the target of strong criticism for its security flaws. Gates said IE 7 will include antispyware tools for no extra cost, though other officials from Microsoft said the company would offer a paid subscription service to help consumers "manage" antispyware efforts. Gates also said the company would offer a range of antivirus products by the end of the year, which is later than many analysts had expected. Officials from competing computer-security companies said Microsoft's offering similar products by itself is not a source of great concern; rather, it is Microsoft's ability to bundle such tools with its operating systems that worries them. Gregor Freund, chief technology officer at Check Point Software, said if Microsoft bundles spyware with Windows, it is "playing a game that no one else can play." Wall Street Journal, 16 February 2005 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110848565696255359,00.html ONLINE PROGRAM EVALUATES STUDENTS' USE OF MARIJUANA Psychologists at San Diego State University have developed an online program that allows students to anonymously enter information about their use of marijuana and receive information about how their habits compare to those of their peers. The program, e-TOKE, is modeled after a similar application called e-CHUG that the university developed to inform students about alcohol use. University officials said e-CHUG has been extremely helpful in educating students about the costs and risks of excessive drinking, and officials hope e-TOKE can be similarly useful. Douglas J. Van Sickle, acting dean of students, said that marijuana abusers often overestimate the amount of marijuana their peers use, and E-TOKE is intended to dispel such misconceptions. E-TOKE is being tested at six institutions, including San Diego State, and the university plans to begin selling subscriptions to the service to other colleges and universities in April. Van Sickle said that 117 institutions are currently using e-CHUG. Chronicle of Higher Education, 18 February 2005 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v51/i24/24a03302.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 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] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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