Computer hacking is making local headlines again.
The latest in the South Carolina chapter of an increasingly problematic worldwide saga shows USC isn’t the only Columbia-based computer system lacking immunity to hackers.
Mere months after a tech-attack on the USC computer system compromised the personal information of thousands of students, the state government computer system has been hacked as well. State Department of Revenue files containing sensitive tax records of 3.6 million South Carolinians were compromised, state officials announced last Friday. The question that should be on the mind of every student: What is USC doing to fend off this up-and-coming threat? How about making it a priority?
In all eight campuses that make up the USC system, we have a grand total of five technology specialists devoted to ensuring our information is secure. Five. That’s for more than 45,000 students in the system. We’re no technical experts, but that seems a tad short.
Clemson, with an enrollment of about 17,000, has three devoted to it. LSU, which is similarly sized, usually employs eight to secure its systems.
And consider this: Many of us still haven’t memorized our VIP ID numbers and log in instead with our Social Security numbers. Can’t imagine that’s too secure.
Sure, that’ll change whenever USC finally gets around to fully implementing its slow-moving, $75-million OneCarolina overhaul of its decades-old technology infrastructure.
But this needs to happen now.