May 2, 2016
Kyle Guthrie
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It is something that everyone should practice on a daily basis, and yet one of the most overlooked aspects of life in America today.
Cyber security is an essential component to prevent online scams such as identity theft and personal information leaks.
Now, UCCS is moving forward to establish a presence in the new National Cyber Intelligence Center that is being developed in Colorado Springs.
Edward Anderson, interim executive director of the National Cyber Intelligence Center and executive director for Strategic Military, Space, Science and Security Initiatives at UCCS, said that two panel discussions will be held May 3 and 4 to dispel rumors surrounding UCCS’ role in the new center.
“There is a perception that based on what limited information is out there, is that UCCS is going to have a leading role,” Anderson said, “and that this is being done without consultation with the staff and faculty and that they have had no input. Well, that’s not true.”
Anderson went on to explain the role UCCS would play in the creation of the NCIC, as well as the intent of these discussions in general.
“There has been discussion with the deans and so on and so forth,” Anderson said. “But this is a work in progress, and the intent is to familiarize folks, and to try to bring out the concerns so that they can be addressed.”
Anderson also laid out how UCCS would proceed in their role within the NCIC, and what the university could expect from the center.
“In the Cyber Research Education Training Center, the way it works in the NCIC is that for the three components (the cyber institute, rapid response center, CRETC), each of these elements has a lead,” Anderson said.
“(UCCS) would be the chair of (an) advisory board and the advisory board would be composed of representatives from state academic institutions as well as national academic institutions from outside the state of Colorado.”
Anderson explained the partnership that the NCIC is hoping to form with local military installations in the area as well as UCCS.
“We have had some discussions with the military already on this, and they have generally across-the-board expressed an interest with an affiliation with the NCIC.”
Cyber security is one of the top priorities for national security as of late. Following a hack into the Department of Defense, China recently acquired fingerprint identification information for roughly 5.6 million Americans, according to a Reuters article detailing the hack.
To combat these intrusions, the Department of Defense is hoping to institute over 133 special teams by 2018, according to their website.
Anderson stressed the importance of personal cyber security as a great way to combat potential hacks.
“We all need to make sure that we are practicing good cyber and computer security techniques,” he said.
“Those are fairly widely known, just be careful because there are bad folks out there who are looking for opportunities to try to get information in whatever way they can.”
Students such as Hunter Groves, a sophomore history major, practices using multiple sources of security.
“I pay for McAfee cyber security as well as AVG online free security scans,” Groves said.
“They make me relatively secure, however I wish there was more detailed information on some of the software regarding specific threats to the computer and virus detection technology.”
Other students, such as Rodrick Fuller, a junior majoring in criminal justice, have personal preferences in order to avoid possible intrusion.
“I change my password at least every month, and I make sure I don’t log into personal sites on public computer,” Fuller said. “I feel pretty secure, but I know there is always a chance of getting hacked.”
The Lowdown
What: Campus Briefing on National Cyber Intelligence Center
Where: University Center 116
When: May 3 at Noon and May 4 at 8 a.m.
How Much: Free