Computer networks on campuses are among the most prone to virus attacks. What are you doing about it, asks Sara Saleh
When was the last time you went online and checked your email, downloaded songs, went online shopping, researched a paper or just randomly surfed the net? probably just a minute ago!
Nowadays campuses are flooded with students flurrying around with laptops accessing the university online network for a myriad things.
But the question is: Have you ever thought that someone could be monitoring your every move online and gaining access to all your passwords and account numbers?
Scary, huh?
It's not news that campuses have been making significant investments in information technology for some time now, and are thus heavily reliant on it.
Unfortunately, as was the case for several international universities around the world, campuses are particularly vulnerable to computer attacks with thousands of students given access to high-speed connections to the Web.
So what can students do to arm themselves against any such threats?
Notes spoke to Justin Doo, managing director of Trend Micro Middle East (whose clients include the Abu Dhabi Educational Zone and the government of Bahrain) for an education on the security risks students unknowingly face on a daily basis and the necessary precautions that can be taken to ensure safe surfing and an overall secure network on campus.
Risks students run
Students are exposed to the internet at a far greater level than most and so are at greater risk from the threats it poses in terms of security and the compromising of data.
"In addition to viruses, students are dealing with a great growth in malware such as spyware and adware. These "below the radar" threats are far more significant as they are less visible and can cause infection just by visiting a website," says Doo, "and people can use bots to compromise the integrity of your PC, launching all sorts of attacks. "
Even something as simple as replying to an email by an unknown user can make you a target of spam.
College network more prone to attack?
"Students are students and IT security is not really high on their agenda," says Doo. "They are less cynical, and more trusting by default, and more accepting of face values."
This makes students and campus networks easier targets than commercial entities for hackers and malware writers.
"Universities can have a lot of dormant resources, especially during holidays, and this is very attractive for illegal users trying to access the network for their own gain," he says. "Access to student databases means instant access to tons of private information."
After an attack
Despite the thousands of computers and users on campus, very often few staff members are available to solve security issues.
"A student on campus will consult an IT manager or the IT department providing connectivity on campus," says Doo. "Trend Micro provides a free online service that enables people to scan for and remove existing virus and malware infections."
The link is Housecall.trendmicro.com.
The writer is an International Student Correspondent for NOTES, studying at the University of Sydney, Australia
