CAMPUS BRIEFS: Tuesday, December 8, 1998

Hackers use 'backdoor' to student computers Penn's computer security officers are warning students this week about programs that essentially "unlock" their computer, allowing potential hackers to access any file on the computer and run the system from any location. "It's usually as if they were sitting at the keyboard," said Information Systems and Computing security analyst Steve Thompson. Two different "back-door" programs -- named BackOrifice and NetBus -- threaten any Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT system, Thompson said. The programs allow the user to do harmless things like open and close the CD-ROM drive and launch World Wide Web browsers to specific Web sites, as well as potentially more dangerous acts like reading and deleting files and detecting any keystrokes entered in the computer -- allowing the hacker to obtain secret passwords for e-mail, banking or anything else. The program can be installed in one of two ways, Thompson said. It can either be physically installed on a computer or it can be embedded in a downloaded file. Thompson urged students to scan their systems for viruses if they think they are at risk, in addition to talking to the information technology advisers in their dorm. Using the back-door software is a violation of University policy. Thompson said that one offender has already been referred to the Office of Student Conduct for disciplinary action. -- Ben Geldon