UA to Host Panel on Cyber Security

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Students and community members can learn how to protect themselves against cyber crimes, and what law enforcement agencies and private sector companies are doing to combat the growing problem, during a community panel Oct. 1 at The University of Alabama.

Organized by UA’s department of criminal justice, the panel will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in room 328 of Lloyd Hall. The event is open and free to the public. A reception will follow.

Panelists include:

Dr. Diana Dolliver, assistant professor, UA department of criminal justice

Ashley Ewing, information security officer, UA’s Office of Information Technology

Mike Trotter, investigator, Alabama Fusion Center, ALEA

Matthew Martin, manager of infrastructure security, TIAA-CREF

Barry Matson, deputy director, Alabama Office of Prosecution Services

A moderator will field questions during the event, and the department will live-tweet the discussion from its Twitter handle “@CJatUA.” Anyone wishing to submit a question may email the department at cjdept@as.ua.edu or text questions to 205/861-0605.

“Every time you turn on the news, some company has had their networks hacked, and our information is once again stolen and in the hands of criminals,” Dolliver said. “Target, Home Depot, Ashley Madison, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management – the list goes on.

“So, I’ve been asking my students about what they’re worried about and talking to them about how to protect themselves online. It’s clear there are a lot of safeguards and ways to prevent you from becoming a victim of cyber crime of which people are unaware. For instance, check your credit report and bank accounts on a regular basis, avoid using unsecure public Wifi networks, and request new debit and credit cards at least once per year.

“You can’t fully rely on companies to protect your information – you have to protect yourself.”

Dolliver said investigators continue to face often-uphill battles against cyber criminals, and the costs of cyber-breaches for individuals and companies continue to mount. The FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center, or IC3, receives more than 250,000 reports each year from victims of cybercrimes — alerting authorities to instances of identity theft and fraud. More than $16 billion was lost in 2014 due to data breaches at major retail stores.

The community forum will be the second held by the UA’s criminal justice department. The department held “From the Station to the Sidewalks: An Informed Discussion of Police and Community Relations in Light of Ferguson” in October 2014.

UA’s criminal justice department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships and Goldwater Scholarships.