Temple to heighten security in computer labs

By TRACY WILSON
Collegian Staff Writer

Temple University will enhance security in its computer labs in the wake of racist e-mails sent to Penn State students that were traced to Temple.

No identification name or password is currently needed to log on to a computer in Temple's labs, and any student with a valid university ID can gain access to the computer labs, said Harriet Goodheart, director of Temple University News Bureau.

"Up until these recent events -- obviously, involving the horrible abuse of technology -- we had easy, open access to computer labs and Internet at this university," Goodheart said.

Temple's computer system does not have the same architecture as does Penn State's, said Penn State President Graham Spanier at the Board of Trustees meeting Nov. 5, the morning the racist e-mails first made headlines.

"There are no electronic tags connecting it (e-mail) to a particular computer or student," Spanier said.

Students and faculty favored the open-access system at Temple to promote familiarity and access to technology, Goodheart said, but the university is looking to change their policies.

"In the wake of what's happened, we're rethinking that (system)," Goodheart said, adding computer technicians are researching two user-ID systems for implementation in Temple labs.

One system under consideration requires students to supply an ID when logging on, and another requires an ID once the student is working outside the Temple system, Goodheart said.

Penn State began its user-account system Fall Semester 1995, said Kathy Kimball, director of computer network security.

With the advent of the Internet and increased use of e-mail, the system was implemented to give users accountability, with the ability to trace reported incidents to the computer's user at a certain time and place, Kimball said.

Billing and printing records were also some non-security reasons for the ID log on, she added.

Records can be accessed back to "day one" to track logins, Kimball said, but all requests must go through her and only in response to suspected incidents involving the wrongful use of the computers.

Web sites visited by users are not tracked, she added.

"It's not an attempt to be big brother," Kimball said. "It's to deal with scenarios of major crime or abuse that have to be investigated."

Kimball cautioned users not to share account information with others for accountability reasons.

"Users tend to be casual with passwords," Kimball said. "If they are sharing accounts — something they should not do — that's where the students tend to have some explaining to do."

As for Temple, the investigation continues for the source of the racist e-mails.

"We're pursuing it vigorously," Goodheart said. "At this point, we're very hopeful for coming up with some answers."