Students offered tips on computer safety issues
The University hosted a safety information
venue in the Perkins Student Center on Sept.
9 for the incoming class of 2013: "13 Tips
for Safety on Campus." Although the session
was directed primarily at freshmen, all
students were welcome.
Staff members and student employees of
IT-CS&S participated in the event by
answering questions about different facets of
computer security.
"We focused our posters and handouts on a
number of security areas--copyright issues,
phishing, and online identity safety," Carol
Anderer, associate director, IT-CS&S
said.
According to Anderer, illegally downloading and sharing music using peer-to-peer software is a major concern on campuses around the country.
"Copyright holders are watching what is
downloaded and have prosecuted students at a
number of colleges and universities for this
illegal activity," she said. "We want to
educate students at UD about this issue to
protect them."
Besides answering specific questions about
copyright fair use, CS&S staff
directed students to a UD Web page--Legal
Options for Downloading Music and Movies at
the University of Delaware--to help them
understand what options are permissable and
what are not.
"Phishing, a criminal activity that uses electronic means to attempt to acquire private information such as credit card numbers, passwords, and Social Security Numbers, has become widespread," Anderer said.
Many of these messages purport to be from popular social Web sites (e.g., Facebook and MySpace), online payment companies (e.g., PayPal), online banks (e.g., Wilmington Trust, Bank of America), and Internet Server Providers (e.g., Yahoo, AOL).
"We tell students never to respond to these inquiries. A reputable company will never ask for personal information such as your credit card number through an e-mail message," Anderer said.
For a reminder of what phishing traps are and how to avoid being lured in, students can read Create you own 'no phising zone' Web page.
Another topic of concern to many people is identity theft. Students can find a thorough outline of steps to take to help prevent identity theft. Another useful Web site for help with guarding personal identification information is Safe Computing Practices.
In addition to computer security, the event included UD staff members from other campus units such as the Student Health Service, Sexual Offense Support, Center for Counseling and Student Development, and Public Safety, who answered questions and provided information about security issues relevant to their fields.
