Re: Faculty Acceptance of Security Awareness Education?

[Ozzie Paez <ozpaez () SPRYNET COM>]

I just want to pass along the results of our investigations into issues
related to security in general, awareness and engagement in academia
following 9/11.  Terrorist networks  have shown interest in recruiting at
universities and using resources, materials and system to facilitate attacks
on and off campus.  US, British and other intelligence agencies have
reported this for years.  And it should not be surprising, as many radical
groups in the US and abroad have historically found some of their supporters
on campuses.  The issue here is not whether your institution will be hit,
but rather whether any academic institution will be targeted, exploited,
attacked or used to launch an attack on the public.  If any university is
used or exploited to launch a terrorist attack, the impact on other
institutions will likely reflect what happened to those airlines not
involved on 9/11, i.e. they were equally affected by the government's
response.  Most attack scenarios involving the academy also involve IT,
directly or indirectly, as a means to capture information, transmit
information, gain access, gain entry, etc.  So, academics should realize
that their world can change in a moment, as all airlines experienced
beginning on 9/12/01, if lax security leads to a terror event.  I would
recommend that you include a concise, clear picture of how being security
conscious will not only help protect the university from cyber related
attacks, but also help the security staff protect the ability of all
members, from students to faculty, to function should a major exploit result
in overnight government demands for heightened security.  Those institutions
with poor systems, awareness and demonstrated commitment will likely suffer
many more disruptions in their routines and endure greater security demands
than those who can demonstrate that they have been successfully working with
all members of their institution, including the faculty.



Ozzie Paez

SSE/SAIC





From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv
[mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of Jon Good
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 5:22 PM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: [SECURITY] Faculty Acceptance of Security Awareness Education?



Researching a question posed by our Academic Senate leadership:



   What approaches have worked at other institutions to persuade faculty to
get on the security awareness bandwagon [take the "training"]?





Jon Good
Director, Information Security
Information Resources & Communications
University of California Office of the President
415 - 20th Street, 3rd Floor
Oakland, CA 94612-2901
(510) 987-0518