The Coast News INLAND EDITION
.com ESCONDIDO, SAN MARCOS, VISTA
VOL. 6, N0. 25
Schools confident in security
Battle over road user charge rages By Steve Puterski
CSUSM, Palomar say they’re ready in case of cyberattack By Stephen Wyer
REGION — As cyber and ransomware attacks are on the rise against higher-learning institutions, North County colleges and universities say they are confident in their ability to withstand such intrusions. According to Jacob Doiron, a cybersecurity researcher at San Diego State University, colleges make ideal targets for hackers for a whole host of reasons, chief among these being a lack of funding for cybersecurity at schools as well as the relative openness of college networks that allow tens of thousands of users to connect to systems at any given time. “Criminals want to go after targets that have a balance of low security and a high need to pay the ransom quickly…universities have a need to get everything back online quickly, and university and college IT and security departments tend to be chronically underfunded,” Doiron said. Doiron added that even well-funded college IT departments are at a significant disadvantage due to the open nature of a college network — it takes just one unwitting user clicking on a malicious link to give cybercriminals the foothold they need in the system. “You have so many users at a college who may or may not be well trained when it comes to cybersecurity…it’s likely you can get a least one person to click on a phishing link just given scope and scale…there’s so much complexity to keeping the network protected every time, and the hackers only need to succeed once,” Doiron said. Cyberattacks against higher-ed institutions have skyrocketed nationwide in TURN TO CYBERATTACK ON 5
DEC. 10, 2021
Check it out!
Artist Julia Anthony, above, last week put the final touches on her sprawling mural at the Escondido Public Library. Photo by Chris Kydd
Anthony’s vibrant mural, right, entitled “Escondido Vision,” can be viewed on the west exterior wall of the Escondido Public Library on Kalmia Street. Photo by Tigist Layne
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REGION — In a reversal, at least three Democrats on the San Diego Association of Governments expressed concern with road user charges during the Dec. 3 Board of Directors meeting. Encinitas Mayor and SANDAG chairwoman Catherine Blakespear, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis released statements prior to the meeting, with Gloria and Blakespear each saying during the meeting the per mile charge should be taken out of the 2021 Regional Plan, also known as the 5 Big Moves. Blakespear said the plan must be approved by the end of the year per state law, although if passed it leaves SANDAG staff with little time to make significant changes to the scope of the proposed plan. The transportation plan is a long-term vision to meet state requirements to address congestion, access to jobs, education and healthcare, according to SANDAG. The final version has a heavy investment in transit with goals of increasing ridership between 7% and 8% and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. “I’ve heard from countless San Diegans about this plan,” Gloria said. “We have received a resoundingly clear message that a road charge is concerning. I share that concern. I don’t think this particular part of the plan we should be considering.” San Marcos Republican Mayor Rebecca Jones, whose city was the first to pass a resolution in opposition of any new taxes, charges or fees imposed by SANDAG in October, questioned the authenticity of the statements. She TURN TO USER CHARGE ON 6