USC hacker charged for breach
Eric McCarty, 25, was charged for illegally accessing more than 270, (XX) applications.
By ASHLEY ARCHIBALD
Staff Writer
A San Diego man has been charged with hacking into the USC admissions Web site last year, which resulted in the exposure of sensitive information such as Social Security numbers.
Eric McCarty, 25, was officially charged with "having knowingly transmitted a code or command to intentionally cause damage to USC’s online application system,” according to a Department of Justice press release.
In 2005, Robert Lemos, a reporter with the computer security Web site Security Focus, contacted Robert Wood,
USC chief information security officer, telling him that a USC application database had been hacked, according to the FBI affidavit.
McCarty is a computer network administrator who has 12 industry certifications. According to the affidavit,
McCarty has had experience in simulating computer hackings to test company systems.
McCarty notified Lemos about the breach immediately afterward through e-mail under the pseudonym “Bob Haskins.”
Though McCarty notified USC about hacking into the admissions database, he was charged for the action.
Contained in the database were the applications of more than 270,000 prospective students, which included information such as birth date, address and Social Security number, according to the affidavit.
Only a few files had actually been accessed, but USC sent out notifications to all applicants who may have been affected.
USC spent more than $140,000 to notify affected students and also shut down the applications Web site for 10 days.
McCarty hacked the Web site through a “structured query language" injection attack, copied several files and then informed Security Focus of the breach through the use of a newly created e-mail account ihackedusc@gmail.com, according to the affidavit
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Quick
Facts
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USC spent more than $140,000 to notify students who were affected by the security breach.
The hacked databases included the applications of more than 270,000 prospective students.
Hasty selections harmful to health
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Caffeine could actually hinder your studying. 11
Stressful situations and bad eating habits often lead to poor student health.
By LAURA KELLER
Contributing Writer
As the semester draws to a close, USC students across campus are preparing themselves for final exams.
But as exams come into view, poor study habits, unhealthy eating and pressure-driven stress can combine to have a negative impact on students’ health.
Performance anxiety, especially around finals, causes students to abandon their normal routines in favor of unhealthy study habits.
“At selective schools, students truly want to do well (on exams)," said Bradford King, director of student counseling services at the USC University Park Health Center.
“More than their parents’ or faculty (demands), students want to do well," he said. Thus, some stress is self-inflicted. Students “over-think exam performance and exaggerate negative outcomes, convincing themselves that if they do not do well, they will have — for example
— destroyed their chances of entering graduate school. King said.
While some students, such as Andrew McNamee, a junior majoring in computer engineering and computer science, said this semester's exams are not particularly stressful, some professors said they have noticed increasing levels of student stress.
Eileen Crimmins. a professor of gerontology at USC, said she thinks students are more stressed, citing personal observations and studies that have measured student anxiety markers during examination periods.
Dale Kiefer, a professor of biological sciences, said that although he tries to be supportive and direct students’ study efforts during exam times, students in his classes are 1 see Health page 11
FINALS FUEL: A GUIDE TO FINALS WEEK HEALTH
Low stress. Patrice Barber, USCs dietician, holds out examples of healthy exam-time snacks. Maintaining a healthy diet, adopting good study habits and getting plenty of sleep are key factors in staying healthy during finals and other high-stress times.
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Former USC wideout
Kareem Kelly is one of several former Trojans playing Arena football. 20
April 26, 2006
Vol. CXLVII1, No. 66
Exploring post-graduation plans just beginning for some seniors
Quick Facts
Some seniors wait until after graduation to test the job market or other options.
By KATE JACKSON
Suff Writer
With graduation just weeks away, many graduating seniors have secured jobs, internships and other plans, but for some, their futures aren’t so certain.
“I haven’t done anything (about getting a job). I figure I’ll find something after I graduate," said Will Anthony, a senior majoring in business administration.
According to research done by the USC Career Planning and Placement Center, this time last year 37 percent of graduating seniors had jobs and 15 percent were going on to
graduate or professional school, said Eileen Kohan, director of the center.
This year’s research has not been completed. Of the 14,000 USC students registered with the career center, approximately 80 percent use their services, Kohan said.
Kohan said she can understand Anthony's desire to wait until after graduation to begin the job search because many businesses hire employees as they need them.
“Fortune 500 companies (can) recruit in the fall because they know they need to hire ’X' number of people. Everyone else wants to hire you for next week and can't wait three months for you to graduate,* she said.
Trying to figure out the right timing to apply for a job is just one of many challenges that seniors face.
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In 2005, 37 percent of graduating seniors had jobs and 15 percent were going to gradu ate school.
Approximately 80 percent of the 14,000 students registered with the career center use the service
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Rising airfare costs affect travel plans for students
Several factors, such as taxes and gas prices, have contributed to the high costs.
By COURTNEY WILLIS
Staff WntCT
Plane-ticket costs have steadily increased over the past several years, leaving students to deal with the dents in their wallets or find another way to travel.
Gas prices, international taxes, the weak dollar and a 20 percent decrease in capacity has led to the rising airfare, said Julie Johnson, district manager of STA Travel.
She said all ticket prices have gone up. but that some airfares are more expensive than others depending on where you're ftvmg
"Airlines take full advantage (when there's little competition ) That s why it's cheaper to fty to New York than to Eugene. Oregon." Johnson said.
San Francisco and Oakland are a lot more expensive
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