breach

Malware continues to be a challenge to computer security

Identity theft continues to be a serious problem nationwide, and according to the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center, (ITRC) the economic recession may be a cause in the rise in scams, thievery and hacking. Breaches have hit virtually everywhere, including the federal government, major credit card companies, businesses and higher education institutions. Penn State has experienced computer breaches due to malware. The most recent breach occurred in the Student Aid Office in January, when malware exposed 5,600 records containing Social Security Numbers of current and former students. "The scary part is, you don't have to do anything wrong anymore to infect your computer," said Kathy Kimball, senior director in Penn State's Security Operations and Services Office. "The threat has changed such that you do not need to click on anything, just visit a compromised page." (more)