OU Blog - Maris Skinner

Students Worry About Catching a Different Kind of Virus

2009-04-19T23:54:00.003-05:00

Photo courtesy of google images

OU psychology senior Sidney Smith caught a very contagious virus last semester while at school. She said she felt sick to her stomach and got a worrisome headache. Smith’s symptoms were not caused by an illness, but out of worry for her crashed computer, which caught a dangerous virus when she downloaded some music from the Internet.

“My whole life was on that computer,” Smith said. “School papers, music, pictures, everything.”

Smith took her computer to OU’s resident technology experts, IT, who determined her hard drive was fried and must be replaced.

“Everything was gone,” Smith said. “I had almost 3,000 songs on my iTunes.”

Smith said she didn’t know what kind of virus her Dell laptop caught, but it didn’t really matter. OU students’ computers are prone to Internet viruses and worms if they are not protected by a security program. Smith is one of many students that have seen their computers fall victim to a hacker’s virus. IT’s creative ambassador Nick Key said he sees more than 100 infected computers parade through his office each semester.

“There’s so many different ways to get a virus,” Key said.

IT stays diligent to keep OU students informed about new ways to keep their computers safe from spam, viruses, and worms. When Microsoft released a new security patch for Windows users last Thursday, IT passed along the message to students the following day with instructions on how to download the update. Key said the patch fixes the program’s vulnerability to be susceptible for hackers to find and change information on personal computers.

“The vulnerability was spread out over so many computers that there was a potential for somebody to develop a worm that could go out and really affect a whole group of people,” Key said.

A worm is a computer program that replicates itself and then uses the infected computer’s network to send copies of itself to the most amount of people possible. Key said worms can use somebody’s address book or email contacts to send itself under a friendly guise.

“The idea is that it’s going out and trying to attach itself to as many computers as possible,” Key said.

Key said viruses are less common in Macs because a minority of people use them compared to PCs, and hackers are trying to target as many people as possible to spread their virus, worm, or trojan.

“Macs are definitely less susceptible to viruses,” Key said.

The IT store offers a free download of Symantec anti-virus software for PCs and Macs. Key said he uses Symantec on his own personal computer and has never had any virus or spam problems.

“When a virus tries to attack your computer, if you click delete it gets knocked off your computer before it even gets access to your files.” Key said.

Smith said she has learned from her mistakes and will try to be more cautious of what she downloads in the future.

“I’ve got an anti-virus program on it now,” Smith said. “I’m not taking any more chances.”

Key suggested that students update their systems regularly and install an anti-virus program to keep their computers protected.

Links:

Click here to download Symantec security software for free

Click here to update your Microsoft computer with the latest security patch

Audio: (gathered by Maris Skinner)

Click here to listen to IT Spokesperson Nick Key talk about how to keep your computer protected.

Simple tips to keep your computer from catching a cold… or virus this season.

- Regularly update your computer.

- Download and install an anti-virus program.

- Keep your computer locked when you’re away from your desk.

- Don’t download software from sites you don’t know.

- Look for sites with “https” in their address. This means they feature a secure connection.

- Never click on a link or open an attachment in a suspicious email.

Those Who Experienced The Great Depression Are Feeling Deja Vu

2009-04-06T21:15:00.011-05:00

Ann Hardy (left) with her younger sister around 1929, the same year the stock market crashed.

Eighty-seven year old retiree Ann Hardy said she is worried about young people who may be struggling in the current economic slump. After all, she is no stranger to hard times. Hardy grew up during the Great Depression, she was just a girl when the stock market crashed in 1929, but said she remembers how her parents worried.

"The depression didn't really hit our family until the run on the banks," Hardy said, "We were O.K. but there was nothing to spare."

Psychology senior Sidney Smith said she shares the same concerns about how she will make it on her own once she graduates from college.

"I still have to get through law school," Smith said, "I have no idea how I am going to pay for it."

Smith said she got a scholarship to OU and worked to support herself with no financial aid from her parents for all four years of college.

"Now that the economy is so bad, it's getting harder to find a part-time job and go to school at the same time," Smith said.

Hardy's father was an architect and was able to find work when government programs were set up to help Americans find labor opportunities. She said she thinks the same method will work for those struggling to find work today.

"I believe the economic stimulus package will do a lot of good for a lot of people," Hardy said.

Tough times touch everyone, but there is a lot of information that the younger generations can glean from their elders who have experienced similar situations in the past.

"Life is unpredictable," Hardy said, "And you have to be prepared for that as best you can."

Smith said she is glad that there are people still around that can provide a few words of wisdom for her and her peers.

"I am happy I get to go home for Easter and see my grandparents," Smith said. "Their stories about the stuff they went through at my age make me feel lucky."

Links:

Read the New York Times article about survivors of the Great Depression

Video: (by Maris Skinner)
Watch a clip of Ann Hardy talking about her life during the Great Depression

Students Mourn Loss of Ruckus

2009-03-29T22:18:00.012-05:00

RUCKUS KICKS THE BUCKET.

Advertising junior Laura Walker remembers the day the free music died at OU.

"I tried to log in to Ruckus, but I just got an error message," Walker said.

Ruckus was a program purchased by OU to provide a free, legal, and safe downloading service to students living on campus. Unexpectedly, Ruckus terminated its service on February 6th with no prior warnings to its subscribers, leaving students wondering what happened.
"I don't want to go back to using Limewire," Walker said, "I don't want to get a virus."

Information Technology spokesperson Nick Key said the Ruckus shut-down may have been because of the economic squeeze many companies are facing.
"They had changed business models quite a few times," Key said, "From a subscription service, to a member service, to a free ad-based service."

Ruckus provided over 3.5 million songs and 4,000 TV shows and movies to its college users. Ruckus' three year run at OU had over 12,000 students signed up for its service, Key said.

The economic downturn may have claimed another internet company, but many more have popped up in its place.

Key recommends students turn to web-based music players, such as the recommendation website Pandora.com. Type in any song, artist, or genre you would like to hear, and the program will create a personal radio station of similar songs.
"[If you] like Def Leopard's 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'," Key said, "they'll play hair band rock for you."

Ruckus may resurrect itself in a new format, but until then, students are left to find new ways to quench their musical thirst.

OU IT spokesperson Nick Key talks about the unexpected departure of Ruckus.

(Video by Maris Skinner)

Listen to Advertising junior Laura Walker talk about her time with Ruckus.
(Audio gathered by Maris Skinner)

Links:
Visit Pandora.com. A recommendation music site.
Visit Deezer.com. A free streaming music site.

Mexico Travel Warning Will Not Deter Some Students from Spring Break South of the Border

2009-03-01T21:50:00.008-06:00

OU Students sun themselves on the beach in Cancun, Mexico during Spring Break 2007.

The U.S. State Department released an official travel warning for Mexico in late February, notifying American citizens of the current level of danger for traveling to Mexico. The warning is mostly due to rival drug cartels carrying out bloody violence and crimes in the border towns and larger cities in Mexico's interior.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs states that "Mexican and foreign bystanders have been injured or killed in violent attacks in cities across the country, demonstrating the heightened risk of violence in public places."

A large amount of the violence is happening in the towns near the U.S. border, and recently the amount of kidnappings has increased exponentially. The U.S. department of state said the warning is to inform those who will be traveling to Mexico, but not necessarily discourage them from going on vacation.

"Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable," the U.S. department of State said.

The travel alert is not expected to expire until mid-October, which has students who have already planned trips to Mexico for spring break and summer concerned.

"My parents are freaking out about Mexico now," said OU Senior Nikki Nilsen, "It's been all over the news."

Nilsen said that she and her friends already planned their trip to Cabo San Lucas and do not have intentions of canceling.

"I think everything will be fine, "Nilsen said, "[The news] is not talking much about Cabo, [my parents] just said I'd have to call."

To read the official travel alert for Mexico and to see the list of U.S. consulates in Mexico, click here.

To read an article putting the danger of Baja California (where Cabo San Lucas is located) in perspective, click here.

Tornadoes Prove Disasterous for Some and Educational for Others

2009-02-15T21:59:00.013-06:00

Staring down a tornado is not for the weak at heart; Oklahoma meteorologists must have guts of steel.

The February 10th tornadoes were an unexpected disaster for Oklahomans in several towns. The tornadoes ripped through neighborhoods and businesses leaving the victims to pick up what was left of their homes and livelihoods. Nine people lost their lives and countless others were injured. Lone Grove was the town hardest hit by the tornado and families of the victims are still trying to pick up the pieces and console their losses.

While most people were trying to get out of the path of destruction on that fateful day, a separate group of people were trying to follow it. Those few brave souls are the meteorologists of Oklahoma, and among them are several OU students who got the chance to track down their first big storm.

Several tornados touched down throughout the afternoon on Tuesday, February 10th. OU meteorology major Joey Picca was asked by his internship at the National Weather Service to follow one of the storms looming over North Oklahoma City.

"We were up by Broadway street," Picca said, "The wall cloud was huge."

The wall cloud that Picca saw never formed into a tornado, and although Picca said he was disappointed that he didn't get to see such an awesome force of nature; he was also grateful that a tornado did not touch down in such a populated area.

"It's always a thrill to go storm chasing," Picca said, "But at the same time you have to balance that with the safety of the people in the area."

Meteorologists must expect the unexpected when it comes to Oklahoma weather, and some of the best training they can receive is out in the field, seeing the storms up close. However, Picca warned that storm chasing should be left to the professionals.

"Even I wouldn't get closer than a mile to the big ones," Picca said.

Identity Theft Hits Home For Some Students

2009-02-08T21:23:00.008-06:00

Some O.U. students started off the semester by dealing with the pains of identity theft.

Access to the internet has made identity theft an increasingly popular crime. Thieves are finding that it is more easy than ever to hack into e-mail and online information banks to steal a person's identity right out from underneath them. Over 2,000 identity theft complaints were logged in Oklahoma in 2007, and most experts believe the numbers will just keep climbing.

The ways that a thief can get ahold of a person's identity are numerous. The most common type in Oklahoma is credit card fraud, where the criminal steals the information from a person's card and can charge up the bill with out having to pay up at the end of the month. In tough economic times like the current, almost no one can afford to be a victim of identity theft.

Identity theft criminals have gotten creative in the ways they are able to obtain information. They can manufacture fake credit cards with other's information if they have the right equipment. Another form of theft is telephone or utility fraud, which is when the thief opens an account in the victim's name. Bank fraud can be considered one of the most deadly forms, because the thief could drain an entire bank account and never be found. The next level of identity theft is known as phishing, and consumers must be wary of any e-mails they receive asking for personal information.

Some companies can be held accountable for not protecting their customer's information, leaving them more vulnerable to identity theft. Companies can guard personal information by making sure they have the latest programs to block hackers.

The good news is banks can be helpful in recovering stolen money, and even catching the culprits before they get away with cash. Most banks will flag suspicious charges and contact the owner right away. That is how music technology senior Ryan Collins found out that a thief was attempting to steal his identity.

"My bank called me at 8 in the morning and asked me if I had been in Georgia," Collins said, "As uncomfortable as it was, the bank made me feel a lot better about the situation."

His bank cancelled his card immediately and they replaced the money that had been stolen out of his account.

The next step for any consumer to take to avoid identity theft is to be diligent about checking their accounts, never give out personal information in e-mails or over the phone if the message or calls seems suspicious.