By Ankur Kayastha ’15

The University of Maryland at College Park became a target of a cyber-security threat on February 19 and nearly 300,000 personal student and faculty records were compromised. The records that had been breached by a sophisticated computer virus contained names, social security numbers, dates of birth and university identification numbers. To compensate for the data breach, the University of Maryland offered free credit and identity theft protection for one year to all affected persons. The IT Division at the university became strengthened with even more protocols and security procedures than before, but it only takes one breach to reveal crucial, sensitive information.

Aside from large institutions like these, teenagers are also at risk from online threats. Rather than relying on cash and coinage, many teens have transitioned to the easy and efficient credit/debit card system. Since many teens are driving, they have to have a suitable way to pay for gas rather than paying cash at the pump each time. Obviously, it seems to hold true that it is more desirable to carry a plastic card than a wad of cash. With credit and debit cards, it is more convenient to  shop online and buy items with a simple click of a button. But with this switch to online bill paying, some negative consequences may result.

Whenever someone creates a new account, be it social media or any other kind, he/she may not consider the possibility of having information intercepted and stolen. Many teenagers may not see the danger in not double-checking the information they place into accounts, especially financial and identification information. This is a problem as cyber security breaches are a plausible outcome. In fact, one particular virus known as the ‘Heartbleed Virus’ recently has weaved its way through multiple cyber security defenses to expose the information of many people.

The recent cyber security breaches at the University of Maryland, similar to the highly publicized attack on Target stores, were caused by various cyber security attacks, including worms and bugs. The ‘Heartbleed Virus’ wormed its way through multiple defenses to affect many social media sites as well, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Cyber security has become an important subject for many accredited institutions, mainly due to more sophisticated attacks that have been occurring recently. However, it is also up to internet users to take responsibility for the information they dish out. It is better to be skeptical about the information you provide rather than to have this sensitive information stolen from you. According to the National Children’s Advocacy Center, it is imperative to remain protected online, especially for children. Around 93 percent of teenagers in the United States have some sort of access to the internet. This percentage are certainly at risk of becoming a victim of a sophisticated cyber-attack. Many cyber-attacks are pinpointed toward the youth in society due to their vulnerability, innocence and lack of knowledge of internet safety. The organization provides ways to stay safe when surfing online, perhaps by not sharing online passwords, using privacy settings of social networks, researching institutions before placing any vital information and more.

Identity theft has become prevalent as many ‘hackers’ attempt to steal identity rather than any financial asset. Internet safety has become an important issue in today’s society. In the case of teenagers, their logged information may be hijacked or intercepted at any point, so it is crucial for them to know how to remain safe online.