Jim Lowe, the new manager of information-technology security on the UW campus, plans to bring a more cooperative approach to mounting Internet security concerns at the University of Wisconsin.

Working under the Division of Information Technology (DoIT), Lowe — a 22-year UW System veteran who first stepped into his new position at UW-Madison Sept. 1 — faces the unique challenge of sealing the campus' network from hackers and con artists while keeping it open to students and faculty.

Yet Lowe said he considers safe-guarding the large-scale network at UW a personal challenge.

"I think it's going to be very challenging and rewarding," he said. "I don't think there's any answers, but if we all work together, we'll figure it out."

Working with DoIT, Lowe said securing UW's network is "about education and awareness" and making sure students stay a step ahead of Internet pirates and hackers.

"We don't want you to be conned," he said. "And that's what we're trying to do — help you stay one step ahead of them."

DoIT Director Ann Stundon said the current dependence on Internet for everyday academic tasks has created a higher demand for security and a low tolerance for hold-ups.

"Everybody expects this thing to be up and running … 99.9 percent of the time," she said. "It's a really high target we've got for uptime, and part of that means we have to keep campus systems secure."

But Stundon added security is still the priority.

"The pendulum is moving from the convenience side to the security side," she said.

Another challenge that arises when addressing Internet security on campus is a conflict between providing an open system and a safe one, Lowe noted.

"The university has typically had an open exchange of scholarly ideas," he said. "There is a challenge, and that is because we all feel we should exchange information freely."

To provide an open and protected campus network, Lowe added students must be educated and aware of security methods available to them so they can safeguard their own computers and, in effect, prevent individual problems from proliferating across campus.

Providing precautionary measures for students, DoIT has free ad-ware and anti-virus software available to students on the newly revamped security section of its website.

The website also contains information for students to protect themselves and their computers from being scammed by con artists and hackers.

DoIT Communications Director Meg McCall said students need to be aware of three main areas of computer risk — viruses, patching and phishing (online conning) — and copyright laws.

While software shields a computer against viruses and worms, McCall said users need to continuously update or patch potential weaknesses in their operating systems.

"I think it's one of the easiest ways for hackers to identify vulnerable computers because they know the vulnerability is there," she said. "And it's one of the easiest things to fix."

McCall added students need to be critical of seemingly official or promising e-mails.

"Criminals are becoming more savvy, tricking people into revealing their personal information," she said. "Anytime you receive an e-mail from someone you don't know, you should be suspicious … especially if there's an attachment."