Between the lines

University Business, March, 2004 by Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti

Edited by Mark Luker and Rodney Petersen, EDUCAUSE; Jossey-Bass, 2003; 111 pp. $17 member; $20 nonmember

Don't look now, but your university IT infrastructure is ripe for attack by hackers and other outside parties, and you may not be as well protected as you think. Universities typically host large computer networks to support teaching, research, and administration, and these resources are accessible to a wide range of parties, from students to faculty. Each of these parties--or, their computer accounts--represents an opportunity for outsiders to break into the network, usurping computing power, accessing confidential records, or setting loose a damaging virus. This book is a valuable guide to addressing these vulnerabilities, with suggestions tailored for the academic environment.