As Ashley Madison experienced a widespread data breach this week, Anupam Joshi and Richard Forno, cybersecurity, spoke to the media about Internet security and how the leak will affect high profile users in Washington, D.C.

In an interview with ABC2, Joshi cautioned that data breaches are increasingly becoming part of daily life. “Information is valuable,” he said. “People are after information. No security is perfect and once you marry these things, there is an incentive for someone to spend the right time and effort to steal some information.” He also spoke about users falling into a false sense of security. “Nothing is really secure on the Internet,” he warned. “If you don’t want the thing you’re doing to show up on ABC2 at some point then don’t do it.”

Forno spoke to Beta Boston and TV Newsroom about public reactions as the data breach revealed several government officials as users of the website. “Depending on who you talk to, you’ll get two wildly different opinions on the issue,” he said. “Some people will say, `Well, they broke the law, they hacked into this private company’s computers and stole data.’ Yeah, that’s true. But from the other side, you have to say, were they doing this for a public service?”

Collin Sullivan has joined the UMBC Instructional Technology team as the new Turning Technologies Intern. This intern program offers students the opportunity to work with faculty to leverage the use of clickers in the classroom. Collin comes to us with a wealth of knowledge through his experience working with Howard County Public Schools Instructional Technology department. 

Collin is an incoming freshman at UMBC, planning to double major in Information Systems and Economics, with a minor in Political Science. He graduated from Long Reach High School in Columbia, Maryland. During his freshman year, he delivered professional development workshops for teachers that focused on incorporating technology into their classrooms. Collin also served as a student member on a board that was tasked with implementation of a countywide Bring Your Own Device program. Collin has written articles for the superintendent’s blog about the importance of technology in the classroom, and was also featured in the online EdSurge Magazine.

Collin is thrilled to be interning with Turning Technologies and working alongside of the Instructional Technology Team at UMBC. He is most looking forward to working with faculty to implement the use of clickers in their classrooms to engage students in course activities.

Please join us in welcoming Collin to the DoIT family!