Desktop security is the foundation of your overall security plan in K-12 education. National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) mainly states that students at all grade levels should know to make changes in the default settings for the operating system and its applications.

This article discusses network security for libraries. It indicates that there were only six exploit (security exposure) problems, worldwide, reported to the CERT Coordination Center back in 1988. In that year, the CERT had just been established to provide a clearinghouse for exchanging information about network security problems. By 2003, the…

This article represents the second part of a series in this journal called "How to Perform a Security Audit." It continues the conversation on setting up a process for identifying security-related concerns and implementation safeguards. It continues the conversation from the perspective of system monitoring. This article discusses how to use a…

As technology grows more pervasive in education, the data recovery issues that school systems encounter are becoming increasingly problematic, as districts work to accommodate a range of concerns that do not encumber commercial businesses. State and federal laws often require schools to report on student populations and educational progress…

Every place has it--coffee shops, bookstores, universities ... and now libraries are offering wireless Internet access too. At the Waterford Township Public Library (Waterford, Michigan), Andrew Mutch created a wide-open wireless network using Public IP open source software. About 20 miles away, at the Novi Public Library (Novi, Michigan), Karen…

Authentication is based on something one knows (e.g., a password), something one has (e.g., a driver's license), or something one is (e.g., a fingerprint). The last of these refers to the use of biometrics for authentication. With the blink of an eye, the touch of a finger, or the uttering of a pass-phrase, colleges and schools can now get deadly…

Once, targets of bullying had to endure it only at school. Now, with the increasing prevalence of cyberbullying it can follow them home and go on 24 hours a day. For students who have been exposed to cyberbullying themselves, for parents who have either been exposed to it or are seeing their child experience it, and for educators who have either…

To overcome weakness and faults of a web-based e-learning course such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), an immune agent was proposed, simulating a natural immune mechanism against a virus. The immune agent was built on the multi-dimension education agent model and immune algorithm. The web-based AI course was comprised of many files, such as HTML…

Many professors, staff members, and even administrators see campus computers and e-mail accounts as their own private property--a type of employment benefit provided with no constraints on use. The fact is, universities "assign" computer equipment to personnel as tools to help them perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently, in the same…

The purpose of this paper is to enumerate a series of security steps that might be taken by those individuals or organizations that are contemplating Web-based tests and performance assessments. From a security viewpoint, much of what goes on with Web-based transactions is similar to other general computer activity, but the recommendations focus…

The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) defines human performance technology (HPT) as "a systematic approach to analyzing, improving, and managing performance in the workplace through the use of appropriate and varied interventions." The first step in this approach is the performance analysis (Gilbert, 1978). In this…

Describes use of wireless technology system involving laptop computers in Henrico County Public Schools in Richmond, Virginia. Briefly describes some lessons learned about the use of laptops and the major components of the laptop security plan. Reports laptop-supported advances in student achievement. (PKP)

As the Internet proliferates, it drastically increases an institution's level of data insecurity. Hacker attacks can result in denial of service, data corruption or erasure, and passive theft (via spoofing, splicing, or session stealing). To ensure data security, a firewall (screening software program) and a security policy should be implemented.…

A new study identifies and ranks the 10 security gaps responsible for most outsider attacks on college computer networks. The list is intended to help campus system administrators establish priorities as they work to increase security. One network security expert urges that institutions utilize multiple security layers. (DB)

Describes procedures for librarians interested in building a World Wide Web site. Highlights include hypertext markup language; home pages; determining audiences and purposes; promoting safety; the planning process, including text length and density, links to external sites, and maintenance; and copyright concerns. (LRW)