Carnegie Mellon/InformationWeek Study: Call for Participation

["Greg M. Bednarski" <gbednars () andrew cmu edu>]

Transnational cyber-extortion and its impact on U.S. business is a poorly
understood and rarely discussed topic. A Carnegie Mellon University graduate
student, in conjunction with InformationWeek Magazine and Carnegie Mellon's
H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy, is conducting a research study
this summer to better understand businesses' awareness of and preparedness
against this threat.  We invite you to participate in a short, anonymous
survey to help us better understand this potentially devastating form of
computer crime.

The study will generate statistics to better understand cyber extortion as a
threat via a brief survey targeted at small and medium sized organizations
that use information technology in the course of their business.  This
survey does NOT require participants to enter any personally identifiable
information.  Information gathered in this study will only be viewed at the
appropriate aggregated levels; non-disclosure agreements are available for
anyone requiring a formal understanding of information protection.

Your participation will greatly go toward helping protect businesses and
their information infrastructures from falling prey to professional
"information merchants" and their ilk. The survey itself is BRIEF, about 35
check-box-answer questions (less if the company has no experience with
extortion), and can be completed via a secure on-line form in less than five
minutes.

Finally, the study will create guidelines for businesses to protect
themselves against this crime, and what to do in the case of an extortion
attempt.  You can learn more about the study, privacy protection, sign up to
receive the completed results, and participate in the brief survey at:

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/gbednars

Please direct all questions to the study's author, rather than this mailing
list.  The author's contact information is available at
www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/gbednars/FAQ_Author.htm


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