I admit I am skeptical. The U.S. government is going to run a computer virus alert system.
The Department of Homeland Security is going to notify Americans every time a major virus hits, because computers are vital to our infrastructure.
The government feels that this alert system is necessary for one main reason. They argue that private companies do not want to tell you about a virus until they have figured out how it works and have posted a patch or a fix for it.
I agree with the government on that one and I can see where a non-biased entity might be beneficial.
What I am skeptical about is the government running it. Face it: they are not exactly the first people that come to mind when you think of advanced technology and efficient bureaucracy.
Will this lead to congressional hearings on why some notification was not sent out?
In some ways, the alert system is a good idea. It means that the government is going to have to create some more good-paying jobs for specialists who can decode the viruses and figure out how they work.
I am sure they already have a number of specialists that work on keeping whitehouse.gov and other sites from getting hacked.
This new program of e-mail alerts will send you an e-mail message with a verification of authenticity attached to it whenever major viruses are discovered.
You can then be prepared to not open any attachments and not read your e-mail until someone comes up with a patch for it.
It will not have the handy color-coded warning system that Homeland Defense uses for terrorist threat levels. It will simply tell you the nature of the virus and what you can do-if anything-about it.
They do give you the handy option of signing up for one of two different versions.
You can choose either the “technical” e-mails with all the details and technical language or the President Bush approved “non-technical” version that is in common language even Dubya can understand.
If you are interested in signing up, go to www.us-cert.gov. I went ahead and did, because I figure it will not hurt-until someone figures out how to hack them, at least.
The real problem with viruses and e-mail alerts systems is the lack of understanding most people have of how they work and what they mean.
Also, most people do not hear about major viruses until it is too late. People are the problem more than technology.
A computer skills class is a requirement of the university’s core curriculum.
Unfortunately, one of the things those classes rarely cover is security issues and how to protect yourself from viruses and hacks. That would be a welcome addition to the curriculum and one that I would be willing to take.
Computers are here to stay as a part of my life and I want to learn what I can do to protect myself from their weaknesses.
Is anyone in computer science willing to teach “Viruses and Hacking 101”?
Don’t forget that I am not a computer science or engineering major-you have to give it to me in Dubya language.
John Summerlot is a graduate student in counseling education. He can be reached at [email protected].