TECHNICIAN
University encourages cyber security Sara Awad Staff Writer
Front yard parking ban approved
ruses are created every day through automated computer programs.” In addition to antivirus software, Gurganus said he recommends the use of encryption passwords and device-tracking software. Other activities listed on the Cyber Security Awareness Month website include mobile device security sessions where those on campus can learn how to protect their laptops and smartphones. John Kerry Digou of OIT Security and Compliance will also lead a security discussion on Oct. 24, which will teach users about sensitive data and how it can be deleted from their devices. The final presentation of the month will
The Raleigh City Council recently approved a ban on front yard parking in the Southwest Raleigh area. According to The News & Observer, the ban on front yard parking was initially projected to affect the entire city of Raleigh, but council members who supported the ban said a proposal of that scope would cause further debate and risk not being passed at all. Instead, the ban will limit front yard parking in the Southwest Raleigh district – that is, it is primarily aimed at reducing front yard parking in neighborhoods surrounding N.C. State, including those adjacent to Hillsborough Street and Tryon Road. According to the Raleigh Public Record, the Special Residential Parking Overlay District will apply to single-family houses that encircle the University. Some homeowners living in neighborhoods adjoining N.C. State’s campus have worked on and off for eight years trying to implement stricter penalties on people who park their cars on front lawns, according to The News & Observer. Tim McHugh, a senior in communication, lived in a house off of Hillsborough Street last year. He said he thought the ban was
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COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Students attend an OIT workshop on how to keep their sensitive information safe in the virtual world for Cyber Security Awareness Month.
Tim Gurganus from OIT Security and Compliance. About 55 students and faculty attended the presentation, “Reducing Risks to Cyber Attacks.” Gurganus said many were surprised to learn about the amount of malware that is created every day and sent through email. According to Gurganus, the university receives 400-4,000 phishing emails per day asking for university emails and passwords. According to Gurganus, the most vulnerable applications at N.C. State are Java, Adobe Reader, Flash Player, Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. Gurganus said the best thing students can do to protect their devices is to patch Java and turn on automatic updates for applications like Java.
“In my analysis, 50 percent of virus infections could have been prevented if they [users] had patched Java,” Gurganus said. Furthermore, Gurganus said it takes more than the purchase of antivirus software to protect against malware. In his presentation, Gurganus pointed to a study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham which showed that antivirus software defended against approximately 25 percent of malware infections that came from email. Five days later, the software protected 75 percent of malware ñ which, Gurganus said, is still not an acceptable percentage. “One of the challenges is that the malware changes very often,” Gurganus said. “100,000 to 200,000 vi-
Staff Writer
COURTESY OF 4 THE WORLD NCSU
N.C. State’s new 4 The World chapter hands out wristbands to spread awareness about the organization and its mission to support global issues.
New student organization supports global issues Local nonprofit organization, 4 The World, is coming to N.C. State to launch a university chapter. 4 The World s mission is to spread awareness about and support global issues, especially in regard to education. Garner native, Robert Keith Froom, founded the organization after returning to the United States from a trip to Belize. Froom traveled to Belize to help repair homes damaged by Hurricane Keith, and after visiting and talking with children there, said he realized the importance of youth education in countries where providing adequate education was more
2012
Staff Title
Lindsey Rosenbaum
Staff Writer
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Alex Petercuskie
NYU voting guide attempts to combat voter apathy
Alex Petercuskie
october
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
National Cyber Security Awareness Month is in full swing at N.C. State for the ninth consecutive year this October. Sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance, the month aims to promote understanding of cyber security and show the public how to prevent information technology security issues. According to the Office of Information Technology, the university’s theme for this October is entitled “U R Cyber Security.” The theme highlights the need for students and faculty to take action to achieve cyber security. A university press release about the event said many cyber security related problems are a result of human action. According to a Cisco Connected World Technology report cited in the release, more than half of university students and workers surveyed showed a lack of regard for corporate information and engaged in actions inconsistent with company security polic[ies]. Mardecia Bell, director of OIT Security and Compliance, said the best way to improve campus cyber security is to inform students and faculty. “As technology improves, hackers become more creative in their attacks to gain sensitive information from campus users. If we learn how to protect our cyber space, including the devices and networks we use for connection, we can avoid the varying tactics used by hackers and ensure safer online activities for everyone,” Bell said in the release. The kickoff event for the month, which occurred on Oct. 2, featured
thursday
of a struggle. Froom said he fell in love with the people and children and wanted the chance to do more. According to Froom, the children desired better schools so they could have more options than their parents had. “I went home and started 4 The World,”Froom said. “It’s a 100 percent volunteer organization. In the beginning I used some of my best friends and a few family members to be on the governing board of directors, and used some local community members, which enabled it to become a nonprofit organization.” Froom said the organization
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The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University of Law recently created a student guide for voting in an attempt to combat voter apathy among college-aged students. The Brennan Center focuses on public policy, voting rights, democracy and justice. According to the center’s website, the main goal in the creation of the Brennan Center’s student voting guide was to help voters understand the different state laws and rules about how to register and vote. The guide is d iv ided by state and helps simplify the rules regarding residency, registration, identification and the process for absentee voting. While voter apathy among college-aged students decreased during the 2008 elections, it remains an issue, according to associate professor of political science, Michael Cobb. “When it comes to voting, some of it has to do with the belief that voting is a civic duty, but college students aren’t as likely to think this way,” Cobb said. “There are also institutional barriers to it. We have to register
ourselves to vote, not the government, so to begin voting, we have to want to vote. And, if you don’t establish that habit of voting, it’s just another hurdle you have to jump for voting.” Cobb said voter apathy is closely correlated with a student’s knowledge and interest in politics. Voter turnout in this demographic has increased when topics such as the economy or the wars with Afghanistan and Iraq have been part of a party’s platform. Earlier this year, changes to voting laws were being implemented in ways that could have potentially affected voters from the elderly, minorit y and student demographics. Many of these laws required voters to present picture IDs at the polls, shortened the time for early voting and made it more difficult for college students to obtain absentee ballots. These laws were mainly implemented by Republican congressmen in an attempt to fight voter fraud, but some voting rights advocates see this instead as voter suppression targeting main Democratic demographics. Peter Wright, a freshman in computer science, said he is one of that number.
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