Hackers at Pitt: Parents and Students Beware!!!

Yes, that's right - hackers! Those sick jerks who like to break into computers all over the place - are active through the University of Pittsburgh. What's at stake: Academic records - student e-mails and passwords [this is how I found out - somebody mentioned to me my latest password though I never told anyone that I had even changed it], addresses, and social security numbers - UPMC medical records - and now bank account information. They've recently made it mandatory for students to have direct deposit so that Pitt can automatically reimburse students when necessary. Hackers + your bank records = disaster!

I did not know it was even possible to hack in to the Pitt computers - especially since they are owners-operators of a state-of-the-art supercomputer. They employ numerous computer personnel to keep all sorts of security protocols in place. Well, it looks like that security has been severely compromised. I am not overly surprised by this turn of events - as I have mentioned before - the administration here at Pitt it so completely chaotic and disorganized that it is really quite pathetic. They employ top of the line professors - but the idiots in the administrative offices are clearly incompetent. There is absolutely no order or organization around here. They actually charged me for six credits last term - even though I only took three. Good thing I noticed the error and did something about it right away. But if this is happening to me - and I'm nobody important - it is a safe bet that it's happening campus wide and affects every student and possibly past graduates.

I read a newspaper article lately that Pitt is having some economic hardships. Why am I not surprised!!! Alumni are known to make nice big donations - but if there are hackers getting through -then money is seeping out the back door - and the morons at the top of the food chain around here are completely unaware of it. I guess they won't know what's really going on until it's too late. Just between you and me - I think and fully believe it's an inside job - you know - seemingly innocent computer lab techs who just happen to be hackers. It wouldn't surprise me a bit!! They did have one excellent security lab administrator here - but they fired him last term. I bet he found something out they didn't want known. But their illegal activity caught up with them fast anyway.

All this trouble definitely affects my research activities. But it will never stop me. I am already working on that Alps project and will just have to maneuver around this minor obstacle for the time being until it's cleared away. And I was looking forward to some really cool new geology classes being offered next fall. Hopefully, the problem will be fixed by then. If not, I do have countless other options. But for now - I have a lot of research to do. And off I go.....