Institutions for higher education and NGOs are experiencing a surge in attempts aimed at hacking their data. The more recent known examples were perpetrated against UCLA, the University of Texas and Mississippi State University.
Acunetix, a leading vendor of web application security solutions, is offering all American universities and NGOs a complimentary website audit through its recently launched service, Acunetix SiteAudit.
Last month, a hacker infiltrated a massive database from the University of California, Los Angeles, containing personal information (including social security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses and contact information) on 800,000 people in one of the worst computer breaches ever at a US university.
“There is a general lack of awareness about web application security, “ stated K. J. Vella, VP Sales and Operations at Acunetix.
“Organisations, in general, do not realise if your web apps are weak and hackers will find a way to get in and steal your data. What makes the situation worse is that you'll never know they've been in. Hackers will not leave a trail, your data will still remain there but a copy of it resides in its entirety elsewhere either for immediate sale or for later use. Buyers could use the data to fraudulently apply for cell phones, credit cards or to launch cyber terrorist attacks.”
“Whichever the aim, organizations are duty-bound to protect the data entrusted them,” explained Mr Vella.
University systems are usually highly decentralised which makes it hard to ensure tight security. Furthermore, NGOs might not have the in-house expertise needed to run auditing software efficiently and effectively, nor want to maintain in-house testing since this adds to overhead. Acunetix is, therefore, offering the possibility of having their website audited at no cost.
How to apply
Universities and NGOs can apply for a free site audit by visiting http://www.acunetix. com/site-audit/us-universities htm or by sending an e-mail to siteaudit@acunetix.com, including general contact details and website URL.
