Two weeks of computer chaos for Transportation and Parking Services ended last winter with Loren Bennett's sudden epiphany. In the ever-escalating battle of technology between hackers and their opponents, that invasion isn't a rare event, say those who monitor computer security at UC Davis.
Security is a growing concern.
Burglars, known as hackers, are scanning computers on the university network once or twice a day from various locations on the Internet, probing for security flaws, according to Chris Lambertus, security analyst for Information Technology's Department of Information Resources . Comparable to a thief rattling a doorknob to see if it's locked, these scans are the most common instances of network intrusion attempts on campus, Lambertus says. Once hackers find such a weakness, the computer can be used to download and store pirated software, pornographic materials and music or to generate mass-mailed advertising, commonly known as spam. UC Davis has been the victim of more serious computer crimes, with hackers trying to use campus machines as a conduit to illegally obtain sensitive government information. Just this past fall, chemical engineering graduate student Kevin Hase discovered that intruders used his stolen account to attempt to break into the U.S. Navy's computer system.