View Feedback | Send this Article | Published 4/18/03

Graphic By: Rachel Pastirik

Since the creation of the internet, computer hackers have been trying to "cheat the system." Hackers have caused mass disruptions for corporations, the government and even universities all over the world. They vandalize web pages, gain access to restricted information, change information and plant viruses. What was once just a few rag-tag computer nerds sitting in their homes with nothing to do has sprung into a worldwide epidemic of online crimes and pranks committed by anyone from normal, everyday people to terrorists.

Universities are especially hard-hit, given that they give easy access to the Internet to their students. As early as two years ago, universities across the nation have been hit hard with Internet crime and viruses. This alone has caused school administrations to get involved in internet security in more ways than they have ever expected. As a student, are you and your personal items of interest on the computer safe from the world of hackers and viruses and, if not, what is your university doing about it?

These questions were asked to John Thackston, Computer Systems Senior Analyst for the University of Virginia. Thackston has had seventeen years of experience with computers, serving eight years in the business sector, two years at Columbia Law School in New York, and seven years at UVA. He warns that though hackers and viruses have been around for a long time, the tricks of hackers and the ways viruses are delivered evolve over time and get harder and harder to detect.

"Computer viruses are computer viruses but many out there now are "Trojan Horses," says Thackston. "Hackers will send a file to you, and it will be put into your system. Once it establishes itself on your computer, it will then send a message back to the hacker asking what to do next and, depending on what the hacker has created, it can greatly damage your computer. It really isn't a new concept but there are more of them than ever out there right now and even more powerful than before."

Thackston goes on to explain that though some criminal hackers are trying to hack into systems for bank accounts, government information and more, what most hackers who hack into university systems are looking for is simply computer space.

"Real hackers are looking for space so they can create their own FTP files (music files, movie files, etc.) or store whatever else. They also want your processor. They will hook up your computer processor with several others to make a sort of super computer to use or make more large scale hacker attacks."

Students are not the only ones affected by computer tampering. The government has made universities aware of the need for computer security and has said in no certain terms that universities are responsible for any computer on campus hooked up to the internet. To combat computer crime, the universities of Virginia have teamed together and are sharing information and knowledge on computer security and are doing their best to train as many people as possible under the current budget conditions.

"I am a lot busier than before," says Thackston. I spend 50 percent of my time on administrative duties and another 50 percent on computer security. Soon, one man will not be able to handle it all and there will be a need for a new position of computer security at universities. The whole business of computer security is this huge animal. I have to keep re-educating myself due to all the available hacker tools and software."

And there are extremely dangerous programs available to hackers at the click of a button. If searching the right search engine, you can actually find a free Password Cracker. The Cracker is designed to break passwords and gain access to information. How the Cracker works is that first the program will try your login name. If that fails, it will simple try leaving the password blank. A person's login name and leaving the password blank are the two most common passwords used by people online today. If the program finds that is not the case, it will then search every word of the six most popular world languages. If your password is any word in those languages, it will beat you and your system will be crashed open.

Thackston says that passwords are the most important thing people need to learn about. It is the first line of defense against a hacker. The bigger the password, the better. Thackston says that eight to 30 letters and/or symbols are recommended. Thackston also says to help avoid being hacked, students should stay away from suspicious websites and do not open e-mail and especially e-mail attachments from people you don't know.

Universities are trying to keep up with the ever growing and evolving technology that is available in computer security. One way to prevent hacking is that most universities use firewalls that limit access to certain things on computers connected to campus. While this is a way of preventing hacking, it can cause some students headache. Rachel Pastirik, Head Executive of Whim Online Student magazine at Radford University, says that RU's firewall hinders her at times.

"My biggest gripe is that I cannot use my DSL to reach some servers on campus because of the firewall that campus has in place," says Pastirik. "I can't FTP in to some servers and when I can there are some FTP options that are restricted because of the firewall."

Though the campus firewall may make life difficult for people like Pastirik, she says that she appreciates it and understands why it is in place.

There might never be a fool-proof method of keeping viruses and hackers at bay. Technology changes, and it grows more and more powerful. The only hope is that honest computer experts like Thackston continue to also grow and change with technology so thay he can combat this technological plague. It is also up to students like Pastirik to become educated on the ways we can defend our computers and our lives.

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