Wireless raises security concern

Though students aren't required to connect to the college network via Wi-Fi, they nearly all do, says Robert Brentrup, associate director of technical services at Dartmouth.

If not properly protected, Wi-Fi networks can be easily hacked. Colleges that had allowed open access to their Wi-Fi connections are now requiring users to identify themselves as part of the college community in order to gain access, Mr. Petersen says.

To protect its Wi-Fi system, Dartmouth employs an encryption system called WEP2 (Wireless Equivalent Privacy) and is looking to enhance that with further encryption techniques, Mr. Brentrup says. But in keeping with its educational mission, the college also plans to offer various levels of wireless access. "The more we know about you, the more access you'll have," he says. Guest users at the library, for example, would be able to only browse the Web and access online library materials.

As much as the college tries to educate students about data privacy, it also tries to educate the staff on security practices, such as turning off programs when they're not in use. In addition, Dartmouth has put its human resources department, where sensitive records are kept, "on a private subnet," which "keeps the traffic encrypted all the time," he says.

For more than a decade, the Ivy League college has required students to bring a computer with them. Like many other campuses, Dartmouth sells computers to its students. This year, about 700 of 1,000 new students bought their computers through the college, which in turn makes sure each is equipped with virus, spyware, firewall, and other security protections.

In general, campuses do a very good job protecting the financial information of students, says Jack Suess, vice president of information technology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). But a computer in a department that contains admission or alumni records, might prove vulnerable to hackers. UMBC will have 11,000 to 12,000 computers on campus this fall, he says, but "there's probably only 200 or 250 I'm really worried about." Colleges are trying to identify computers that have sensitive data on them and then "take extra precautions with those machines," he says.

Some universities are doing cutting-edge research on computer networks and uncovering new security threats that only later may be seen in private industry, Mr. Suess says. "We're sort of the proving ground."

Meanwhile, Champlain College is adding an information security major to its curriculum this fall, which will prepare students for careers in protecting computer networks. Unlike some other jobs in the high-tech industry, these sensitive positions are unlikely to be "outsourced" to workers in other countries, Mr. Kessler says. "Sadly, the job market is going to be excellent" for information security majors, he says.

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