Someone once made the analogy that if the Internet really was a highway, it was one filled with marauders, road hazards, pile-ups, and the off chance that your car would just up and explode. The entertainment industry portrays “hackers” as acne-ridden boy-geniuses who wreak havoc on the digital world. While it’s no surprise that the Hollywood image of hacking is over-the-top, security threats do abound. Luckily, simple preventative measures have a high rate of success.
USM’s network is part of a fiber-optic backbone that connects all seven University of Maine System campuses and satellite locations. The resident halls in Gorham, by way of University-owned fiber-optic cable, enjoy very high download speeds. The irony is that this very speed makes residents’ computers tempting to hackers. Though it is rare for any computer to be pinpointed, viruses are prolific.
Many people are aware of the danger of downloading attached files from people they don’t know, but may be inadvertently exposing themselves to viruses by using peer-to-peer Napster clones such as Morpheus and Kazaa.
“Viruses are acquired I’m sure as much through peer-to-peer as e-mail, if not more,” said Chad Casey, network support coordinator. He added people are at risk “just leaving your computer unprotected.”
Despite the hassle of getting a virus, these incidents are still rather common, occurring as frequently as five times a month. If a virus is detected on a resident’s computer, the current policy is to have the resident’s Internet port deactivated. The resident must then have the virus removed either independently or by bringing the computer to ResNet in Gorham, before scheduling a meeting with Casey to have the port turned back on. This process can take up to three weeks. And on a second violation, the resident is often taken off the network for the remainder of the semester.
Residents who acquire a virus without having protection are referred to the Logic Shop on the Portland campus where they can buy anti-virus software. Casey said anti-virus software is available for purchase, or even free, online.
“Anti-virus software is very available and it’s not expensive,” he said. “If you’re downloading a lot of stuff, you definitely want to have it.”
Still, many students go without. Or even if they do have antivirus software, it is hopelessly out-of-date.
“We need to do a better job at educating our residence hall students about keeping up with update patches,” said Mert Nickerson, director of University Computing Technologies (UCT).
Since technology is changing constantly and new viruses are emerging all the time, manufacturers create patches that fix errors or give new functionality to software. As far as security goes, these patches often fix vulnerabilities or enable protection against the newest viruses. Even for software released as recently as Windows XP, Nickerson said that he observed at least 29 updates for it already.
Though there are additional means of protecting one’s computer, such as personal firewalls, Nickerson said “the most important thing is to keep up with the patches.”
Awareness among students seems mixed. Some students have antivirus software but aren’t sure if they keep it updated, while others don’t have antivirus software at all. Others who take precautionary measures still have trouble.
“I’ve been attacked 247 times by the same address,” said Gemma Van Epps, a sophomore environmental science policy major. She reports having both the Norton AntiVirus and Internet Security programs. It is the Internet Security program that reports the attack.
Compared to the dorms, computer labs are far more secure. After every user is done, the computer’s memory is wiped clean. While this policy may not prevent viruses, it at least ensures a short-lived infection.
In addition, antivirus software is installed on all staff computers. Nickerson said that only a very few critical machines are behind anti-hacker firewalls, but that generally such preventative measures weren’t necessary. The few legal cases that have arisen due to lab computer use have had to do with issues of harassment rather than malicious hacking.
Though threats are out there, it’s not hard to take simple measures to protect oneself. Still, protection shouldn’t be mistaken with safety. Casey said even with antivirus software “you’re 97 percent secure – it’s not always foolproof.”