The contest drew video submissions on cyber security issues from a wide array of colleges and universities throughout the country. Using lively vignettes and campus-based scenarios, the short videos and public service announcements explain computer security problems and actions students should take to safeguard their computers and personal information.
Portillo's PSA, entitled "When You Least Expect It," takes the viewer on a journey of how identity theft can occur through use of an unsecured wireless network. A woman online in a cyber cafe thinks she has found the man of her dreams. That man, however, is really a hacker who has just stolen her identity because her laptop wasn't properly safeguarded. By the conclusion of the thirty-second announcement, the message about cyber safety is that, similar to love, identity theft can occur when you least expect it.
"The National Cyber Security Alliance chose this PSA because of how applicable it is to the highest percentage of identity theft victims, users aged between 18 and 29," said Ron Teixeira, executive director of the NCSA. "Incorporating this PSA into schools is only a first step into our cyber security education efforts, but we hope it can kick-start awareness of the issue in an effort to teach young adults about the consequences of their online behavior, as well as how to remain safe while on the Internet."
Throughout the 2007-2008 school year, the PSA will be available for use on college campuses and in high school classrooms by way of television stations and campus events. Additionally the PSA will be distributed to local cable outlets. These videos are now available for free download from ResearchChannel at for colleges, universities, and other organizations to broadcast, make available for downloading, and use in security orientations, sports halftime events or however they see fit.
The NCSA's goal is to help students realize how their actions on social networking sites, using unprotected wireless access points at coffee shops and responding to phishing e-mails can not only be harmful for the victim but also to the nation.
