Announcements

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano recently announced the formation of the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC), comprised of prominent university presidents and academic leaders charged with advising the Secretary and senior leadership at the Department on several key issues. The new council underscores the Department’s commitment to working with the academic community. Secretary Napolitano has asked the group, which will be chaired by Dr. Wallace Loh of the University of Maryland, to provide advice and recommendations on issues related to student and recent graduate recruitment; international students; academic research; campus and community resiliency, security and preparedness; and faculty exchanges.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute recently addressed the administration's Cybersecurity Legislative Proposal in a blog post, stating that "President Obama has proposed legislation that would give [DHS] the tools to execute [their] cybersecurity mission more effectively. This legislative proposal focuses on clarifying authorities, collaborating with the private sector, and driving measurable progress and outcomes. The President’s proposal would establish national standards, protect federal networks, and allow DHS to provide enhanced voluntary assistance to [their] private sector and state, local, tribal, and territorial government partners. At the same time, it includes important safeguards to protect the privacy and civil liberties of the American public."

In honor of Data Privacy Month, you can download Matt Ivester’s book “lol...OMG!” at no charge. The giveaway starts at 12:01 a.m. on January 27, 2012, and expires at 11:59 p.m. on January 30, 2012. Then be sure to join us on Monday, January 30 at 1 p.m. Eastern Time for a webinar with Matt Ivester (author and founder of JuicyCampus).

“lol...OMG!” provides a cautionary look at the many ways that today's students are experiencing the unanticipated negative consequences of their digital decisions from lost job opportunities and denied college and graduate school admissions to full-blown national scandals.

The Higher Education Information Security Council 2012-13 Strategic Plan is now available online. This strategic plan is intended to set forth a vision for the higher education information security community and provide a concise roadmap to guide the efforts of the HEISC in 2012 and 2013. If you missed the Town Hall webinar on January 9, where we discussed the council's vision, mission, goals, objectives, and current working group activities, an archived recording is now available.

Contact us if you have any questions or feedback.

Data Privacy Day, which will be celebrated in January 2012 for the fifth year, provides an excellent opportunity for universities to raise awareness and promote education about privacy among students, faculties, and administrators. (Several ideas are provided below, but you can also learn more about the free webinars being planned for January 2012.)

The Federal Trade Commission will host a workshop in Washington, DC on December 8, 2011, exploring facial recognition technology and the privacy and security implications raised by its increasing use. Facial recognition technology has been adopted in a variety of new contexts, ranging from online social networks to digital signs and mobile apps. The FTC workshop will gather consumer protection organizations, academics, business and industry representatives, privacy professionals, and others to examine the use of facial recognition technology and related privacy and security concerns. The workshop is free and open to the public. View the agenda now. A webcast of the proceedings will also be available.

The FCC is launching the Small Biz Cyber Planner, an online resource to help small businesses create customized cybersecurity plans, in conjunction with DHS, NCSA, NIST, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Chertoff Group, Symantec, Sophos, Visa, Microsoft, HP, McAfee, The Identity Theft Council, ADP and others. The online tool is available at FCC.gov/cyberplanner.

As the breadth of technology expands globally, so do the boundaries of information security. The 10th annual Security Professionals Conference will attempt to recalibrate security during a paradigm shift.

The conference, "Security Everywhere: Exploring the Expanding World of Security," will address our goal as information security professionals of supporting our constituents’ ability to take advantage of modern computing in safe and secure ways. And, as the definition of “security” grows to include privacy, identity management, physical security, information assurance, and more, it is imperative to share information and experiences with peers.

Share your experience, stories, and lessons learned—submit a proposal to present at the Security Professionals Conference.

REN-ISAC has teamed up with SANS to make the NetWars Continuous Play program available at a special discounted price of $700, available to faculty, staff, and undergraduate students at higher education instititutions, K-12 teachers and students, and state and local government employees. The discounted price is a substantial saving over the $1999 list.

Here are 5 articles or announcements you might have missed this week (October 24-28, 2011):

There are a multitude of information security solutions available for universities and colleges looking to protect their data and computers. The solutions can be technical or social in nature. The type of solution that you choose for your campus depends on the needs of your community and where your vulnerabilities lie. Maybe you need a data center to centralize where you maintain and protect your data, or better training to equip your faculty and staff with the right knowledge to protect the data they work with daily, or maybe your CIO needs to establish a stronger partnership with your campus' senior leaders in order to establish their role in information security and strengthen support for initiatives. Whatever your campus requires, a combination of technical and social solutions will be needed.