Darkwing security breached
University counsel advised
the Computing Center not to
reveal the way in which the
system was compromised
By Parker Howell
News Reporter
Students and faculty members
who use the University's Darkwing
computing system may have had
their confidential information re
vealed on May 23 in what is being
described by officials as a "major se
curity breach."
The attack occurred when an "in
truder gained unauthorized root ac
cess to darkwing.uoregon.edu," ac
cording to a May 26 e-mail that
Administrative Services and Com
puting Facilities Director Susan
Milton posted to the Departmental
Computing Group Mailing List. By
accessing the root, or main directory,
of the Darkwing server, the attacker
"obtained copies of Darkwing's en
crypted authentication data," poten
tially allowing the attacker to deter
mine users' private information that
was stored on the server.
A check of the system's files
showed that the intruder did not
modify any other files on the server,
however, indicating that the attack
was limited to unauthorized access
to information, according to the e
mail. Darkwing users were required
to change their passwords by June 1
in order to prevent additional at
tacks.
The Computing Center is aware of
the means the intruder used during
the attack and has "taken steps to
mitigate that attack," according to
the e-mail.
But it remains unclear whether the
identity of the party or parties who
committed the attack is known.
Computing Center Senior Systems
Manager Robert Jones confirmed
that someone infiltrated the system
and said the problem has been
remedied, but he declined further
comment.
Associate Vice President for Strate
gic Communications Harry Battson
said the attacker just compromised
passwords, resulting in the need for
all Darkwing users to change their
passwords.
'The impact is that we
recognize that there
was a breach of the
passwords.... It's just
another good reason
for people to change
passwords frequently."
Harry Battson
Associate vice president
for strategic communications
"The impact is that we recognize
that there was a breach of the pass
words," he said. "It's just another
good reason for people to change
passwords frequently."
Battson said the Computing Cen
ter corrected the problem quickly.
"No critical information was com
promised," he said, adding that he
could not discuss details of the attack
so as not to encourage other hackers.
Battson did say that law enforce
ment is investigating the attack, but
he would not specify what agency or
agencies are handling the case.
"This incident is under investiga
tion by appropriate law authorities,"
he said, Eugene Police Department
spokeswoman Pam Olshanski said
EPD is aware of the cyber attack but
is not investigating it. Beth Anne
Steele, spokeswoman for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation's Portland
office, said she could not comment
on whether the FBI is investigating
the attack.
University Cenerai Counsel
Melinda Crier said she advised the
Computing Center not to discuss in
formation about the breach that
would encourage further attacks or
hinder law enforcement efforts relat
ed to the attack.
" We wanted to be especially cau
tious about relating something that
would compromise security," she
said. "We don't want to make any
thing worse than it is."
Some faculty members disagreed
about how the attack was handled,
however. Daniel Graham, who sup
ports a system similar to Darkwing
for the Institute of Molecular Biolo
gy, said an attacker who gains root
access can read all files stored on the
system.
"It's full-blown access, unfortu
nately," he said, adding that the
breach may have been significant. "1
have a feeling that the way they're
hushing things up, they took more
than passwords. Usually, you would
n't be so secretive about stealing
password files."
Graham said computer depart
ments usually share information
with each other about security
breaches so that other administra
tors can fix security holes in their
systems, but Computing Services
had not revealed the nature of the
security breach.
"It's just driving us nuts," he said.
"It's sort of frustrating to those of us
who in the past have always shared
information."
He said computer support staff,
not hackers, have been hindered by
the lack of information.
"So far, the only people who have
been kept in the dark are those who
need to (fix similar problems)," he
said.
Graham added that the May 25 e
mail sent to Darkwing users about
password changes looked like a scam
e-mail and confused some users. He
said hackers often employ similar e
mails that obtain information by
having the recipient click on a link
that leads the user to transmit private
information.
Graham said his department has
trained users not to use similar links.
"I had people who just didn't do
it," he said.
Linda Foley, Executive Director of
the Identity Theft Resource Center,
said attacks on university computer
systems are not unusual.
"The reality is that most of these
computer breaches don't seem to in
volve identify theft," she said.
She said students should check
their credit records for suspicious en
tries even if they do not suspect iden
tity theft from a specific breach.
Students and staff who did not
change their password by the dead
line must do so to access their ac
counts. Individuals can change their
passwords at https://password.uore
gon.edu if they know their username
and old password or the personal ac
cess code (PAC) used for DuckWeb.
Contact the city/state politics reporter
at parkerhowell@dailyemerald.com.
FOR BOOKS.
June 2-12
UO Bookstore Main
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June 7-11
EMU Lobby
Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Duck Shop at Autzen
Monday - Thursday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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NEWS BRIEFS
Flux magazine release party
honors publication
Students are invited to attend a
release party today to celebrate the
publication of the 2004 issue of Flux
magazine, which is created by stu
dents in the School of Journalism
and Communication.
The event will take place from 6
p.m. to 8 p.m. at DIVA (Downtown
Initiative for the Visual Arts) on the
corner of Broadway and Olive
Streets.
The event will feature "THE ART
OF FLUX," an exhibit of some of the
most compelling, prize-winning
photography from current and past
issues of Flux. The students.who
wrote, edited, designed and took the
photographs for the magazine and
its online counterpart, inFlux, will
attend. Refreshments and copies of
the magazine will be provided,
along with a video display of Web
only features.
This year's issue contains profiles
of a Portland grandmother who is
raising her incarcerated daughter's
five children, a young man making
the difficult decision to enter the
priesthood, the acclaimed docu
mentary photographer Mary Ellen
Mark and a student who learns to
cope with sudden blindness with
help from a teacher who also lost his
sight years before. The new issue
also contains a personal essay by a
student living with lupus, a photo
essay documenting the many vari
eties of marriage, features about the
resurgence of ukulele music, the out
door adventure sport called geo
caching and a Brazilian dance/mar
tial art form called capoeira, and
stories about birth control and men
tal illness.
The inFlux Web site contains
video, audio, animation and extra
stories and sidebars along with the
stories included in the print version.
The magazine and its online com
panion are created in a class offered
spring term, Magazine Production,
by a staff of more than 30 students.
— Jennifer Marie Bear
Music Building will have
much-needed makeover
Many talented University students
must practice playing their musical
instruments in hallways and rest
rooms due to a lack of practicing
rooms in the Music Building. Clos
ets and storage rooms also have
been converted to offices, with up to
four graduate teaching fellows per
space.
Soon, space will no longer be an
issue at the Music Building, thanks
to S2.35 million in donations which
will help expand the School of Mu
sic.
Nearly 500 music majors and
4,000 other students practice and
perform in a 83-year-old building
designed to accommodate only 300.
The staff at the music school plans
to raise $7.6 million in private funds
and matching state bonds to expand
and renovate the building. So far, six
donors have given $2.35 million to
ward that goal.
Thelma and Gilbert Schnitzer do
nated $250,000 to create a new
small performance space. The Thel
ma Schnitzer Hall will include a
grand piano and will host small
recitals and performances, as well as
be a 148-student classroom. The
new room will be equipped with
permanent risers and new audio-vi
sual equipment.
"Music and education have always
been important to our family," said
the Schnitzers in a press release. "We
are both grateful for the education
that we received at the University of
Oregon, and this gift is a wonderful
way to share our love of music by
helping music students of tomor
row. "
Other donors include Audrey
Aasen-Hull, Kathleen Daugherty,
Richards Grubbe and Leona and
Robert DeArmond.
Lisa Catto
SYNERGY
continued from page 5A
bands featured in the magazine.
"My goal was to focus on the
graphic design pretty heavily," he
said.
Abbott recruited the six writers
with the help of his advisor, Profes
sor Mary-Kate Mackey, who teaches
Magazine I. Mackey had never heard
of such an ambitious project piloted
by an undergraduate, but said it was
Abbott's resilience that got him
through the grueling process.
"He just stuck to it," she said.
"That makes the difference between
someone who dreams and someone
who delivers."
Contact the people/culture/
faith reporter
at moriahbalingit@dailyemerald.com.
CAMPUS
Monday
Art exhibit entitled “The Student Furniture Show"
featuring work by students of Professor Wayne Jew
ett, Monday-Sunday, LaVerne Krause Gallery,
Lawrence Hall, Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Monday.
Wednesday
Officers of Administration Council, EMU Umpqua
Room, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Campus Planning Committee meeting, EMU
Metolius Room, 1:30-3 p.m.
Thursday
Associate vice president for Information Services
candidate presentation by John Streck from North
Carolina State University, Browsing Room, Knight
Library, 10:15-11:20 a.m.
Friday
Oregon ballroom dance, Room 220, Gerlinger
Hall, 7:30-11:30 p.m.