Scottsdale College security class fights crime

Scottsdale College security class fights crime

The class, available for the first time this semester, could also help
computer users protect themselves against Internet hackers and
attacks.

"It's like boot camp for security," said Ron Monroig, a business
professor at the school.

The demand for students with anti-hacker skills is great, Monroig
said.

An entry-level position pays $40,000 to $60,000, depending on
experience and knowledge, he said.

"Hackers are providing us with annuity in this particular technology
because they're never going to go away," Monroig said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is funding research and
course studies for similar classes at colleges throughout the country,
he said. He was not sure how much money SCC received for its program.

Computer crime takes a heavy toll on American businesses and families,
said Pinny Sheoran, executive director of the Business and Industry
Institute at Mesa Community College.

Identity theft can cost an individual $1,000 to $20,000 in property
loss, and a business could lose $5 million to $10 million, depending
on its size, she said.

"There is a deep sort of concern," Sheoran said. "Our entire
infrastructure is dependent on networks. How do you train people who
are managing them to harden both the infrastructure and the software
against attack?"

The true cost and depth of damage from computer crime in the U.S. is
probably much greater than reports show, said FBI special agent Tom
Liffiton at the agency's Washington, D.C., office.

Most computer crime is not detected or reported, he said.

Companies that have managed network security report only 20 percent of
attacks to law enforcement, and they report their losses at an equal
frequency to their own legal staffs, Liffiton said. Most individuals
and companies, especially smaller firms, have little or no computer
security, he said.

"They don't even have a clue as to what their losses are or even that
they've been attacked," Liffiton said.

Classes at SCC begin Saturday. For information on the class, call

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