Many people still have not heard about the many ways identity theft via bogus e-mail links, or "phishing," is escalating, with criminals becoming ever more brazen and sophisticated in their online schemes to trick people into revealing their personal information. The tricksters are getting trickier. One of the newest scares involves…

In this article, the author explains how antivirus programs work. He also explains how performances of various antivirus programs vary from one to another. He also takes a look at 13 antivirus programs and explains which of these will keep computers protected. These programs include: (1) Sophos Anti-Virus Version 3.86.2; (2) McAfee VirusScan 9.0;…

Many libraries are or soon will be offering Wi-Fi, also known as wireless networks. The largest perceived barriers to providing this service are concerns about security. The prime rule when deploying Wi-Fi is segregation, having a clear separation between a public wireless network and the rest of the library?s network. A number of devices can be…

For schools, spam is not only an annoyance and a time waster; it clogs district mail servers, consumes valuable network bandwidth, and can deliver and propagate a variety of malware programs that can wreak havoc on their system. A district strategy to "can the spam," therefore, must be multifaceted and address security vulnerabilities at different…

The ethical development of information systems is but one of those sensitive scenarios associated with computer technology that has a tremendous impact on individuals and social life. The significance of these issues of concern cannot be overstated. However, since computer ethics is meant to be everybody's responsibility, the result can often be…

E-safety issues have come to the fore of thinking about young people's use of the internet because of their vulnerable position with regard to contact with people who may take advantage of them. The "Byron Review" in the UK makes explicit the steps that need to be taken to protect internet users. Based upon research across four United…

Many introductory courses to cryptology and computer security start with or include a discussion of classical ciphers that usually contemplates some cryptanalysis techniques used to break them. Ganzua (picklock in Spanish) is an application designed to assist the cryptanalysis of ciphertext obtained with monoalphabetic or polyalphabetic ciphers.…

The Internet has opened up a whole new set of opportunities for advancing the science of psychometrics and the technology of testing. It has also created some new challenges for those of us involved in test design and testing. In particular, we are seeing impacts from internationalization of testing and new models for test delivery. These are…

This article discusses what colleges and universities can learn from Uncle Sam and corporate America when it comes to designing secure networks and ensuring privacy. After all, schools face many of the same privacy and information security challenges seen in the business and government sectors. The fact of the matter is, in the age of cyber crime…

Electronic examination systems, which include Internet-based system, require extremely complicated installation, configuration and maintenance of software as well as hardware. In this paper, we present the design and development of a flexible, easy-to-use and secure examination system (e-Test), in which any commonly used computer can be used as a…

The EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Computer and Network Security Task Force consulted with IT security professionals on campus about concerns with the current state of security in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. From these conversations, it was clear that security issues generally fell into one of two areas: (1) It has become extremely difficult…

As principal of the School of the Arts in San Francisco, Donn Harris is passionate about protecting his students' experiments in free expression. But about two years ago he encountered an example of creative student speech he couldn't support--a nasty post on the MySpace.com Web site that targeted some of the school's students. Deciding that his…

Discusses computer viruses and explains how to detect them; discusses virus protection and the need to update antivirus software; and offers 10 safe computing tips, including scanning floppy disks and commercial software, how to safely download files from the Internet, avoiding pirated software copies, and backing up files. (LRW)

Discusses network denial-of-service attacks which have become a security threat to the Internet community and suggests the need for reliable authentication protocols in client-server applications. Presents a public-key based authentication and key establishment protocol coupled with a client puzzle protocol and validates it through formal logic…

Discusses issues related to computer security, including confidentiality, integrity, and authentication or availability; and presents a selected list of Web sites that cover the basic issues of computer security under subject headings that include ethics, privacy, kids, antivirus, policies, cryptography, operating system security, and biometrics.…