UTSA community advised to be calm, observant under orange alert

(Feb. 14, 2003)--On Friday Feb. 7, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raised the terrorist attack threat level to orange, the second highest level on the advisory system.

The orange alert declaration was implemented after recent intelligence reports suggested an increased likelihood of terrorist activity in the U.S. and abroad. With the orange alert, the UTSA community is asked to remain calm and be alert to surroundings while going about day-to-day business.

"If you notice anything unusual such as suspicious activities, packages or people, notify a law enforcement agency,” said George Powers, UTSA police chief. "If you have a daily routine, we advise making frequent changes and establishing a method of communication with family members including a phone list."

According to Powers, the UTSA Emergency Response Team and the police department are monitoring available information and continue to make adjustments to security as the situation changes. Additionally, the UTSA Office of Emergency Preparedness met this week to review procedures to ensure the security of students, faculty and staff.

Annette Evans, UTSA director of strategic planning, says that an increase in global computer hacking activities may occur as a result of the increasing tensions between the U.S. and Iraq. "We are monitoring our network systems with increased vigilance," said Evans.

According to the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC), recent experience has shown that illegal cyber activity often escalates during times of increased international tension. Such activity includes "spamming" (mass e-mailing), Web site defacement at the code level and blocking of service.

The activity sometimes originates in another country, coming from those who want to increase the tensions. Such individuals and organizations worldwide tend to conduct hacking activity because they view it as contributing to their cause.

According to the NIPC, some effective measures to help avoid computer disruption are:
1. Increase user awareness.
2. Update anti-virus software.
3. Stop potentially hostile or suspicious attachments at the e-mail server.
4. Utilize filtering software to maximize security.
5. Establish policies and procedures for responding and recovery.

Computer users should be aware that "malicious code" such as worms and viruses can be spread rapidly in e-mails that entice users to open documents they don't realize are corrupted. This is done by using e-mail subject lines with patriotic or otherwise catchy words or phrases.

In the event of an actual emergency, the UTSA community will be notified through UTSA Today, UTSA Update and an Emergency Notification phone system.

For more information, go to these links:

Federal Emergency Management Agency
Texas Department of Information Resources
UTSA Office of Emergency Preparedness
U.S. Homeland Security

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© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2003