Universities enlist students in fight against hackers

The Wall Street Journal 31 August 2013

American universities are relying on academics and students to help strengthen data security following a spike in cyber attacks over the past few years. While institutions continue to monitor their networks and engage in joint efforts with law enforcement, educating the university community plays a vital role in protecting their systems, writes Riva Gold for The Wall Street Journal.

At Stanford University, students were recently asked to remain vigilant across all devices after a July attack on the institution’s information systems infrastructure. Randy Livingston, Stanford’s vice president for business affairs, sent out an email to all students asking them to use complex passwords and change them regularly. Soon the university will require a two-step authentication system for access to certain applications.

At the University of Delaware, students must pass a cyber security exam before obtaining a university email address. The university is developing a cyber awareness programme and connecting students with a third-party global risk mitigation and response advisory after a July cyber attack hit roughly 74,000 students, faculty and employees.
Full report on The Wall Street Journal site

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