The redacted names and confidential information of 500 Alabama residents were posted online last weekend by a group of hacker activists known as Anonymous. The stolen information included redacted social security numbers, addresses and phone numbers. “This confidential information should not have been on the World Wide Web,” said Eugene Syriani, an assistant professor of computer science. “Hackers will usually impersonate someone’s computer, but they don’t have to physically use that person’s computer.” In a statement, Anonymous said it did not plan to use the information, and it also claimed to have the redacted records of 46,000 other Alabama residents. Anonymous said it posted the information to protest “recent racist legislation in an attempt to punish immigrants as criminals.” “I think it’s a newer form of protest,” said Richard C. Fording, professor of political science. Fording explained that Alabama has seen many protests of its illegal immigration bill. “Many religious groups have also protested the illegal immigration bill,” he said. Monica Anderson is an assistant professor of computer science by day and a mage in World of Warcraft by night. “My husband and I tried to make our a son a healer,” Anderson said. “But it didn’t work out.” Her husband also plays as a virtual warrior. His WoW account was hacked, and hackers looted years’ worth of digital goods. “My understanding of hacking, there’s two ways,” Anderson said. “There’s brute force, and there’s social engineering.” Brute force, as its name implies, is a method in which hackers crack into a security system by using special computer software that tries every possible password until it succeeds. Social engineering is commonly understood to mean the art of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. Although Anonymous has yet to reveal how it hacked into the Alabama computer systems, hackers often exploit security flaws using these methods. “Most people have bad passwords,” Anderson said. There are standards on password security. Passwords should be longer than eight characters, avoid words in the dictionary and should use symbols and numbers, she said. “The same password shouldn’t be used for multiple websites,” Anderson said, but admitted that she has broken the rule for a few websites. The University of Alabama is not safe from cyber security issues, either. “I know there was a security breach at the University,” Fording said. “We had a faculty meeting about how to keep students’ information safe.” According to a statement by Director Spencer Collier, the Alabama Department of Homeland Security is running a forensic analysis to find the culprits. “I doubt it’s possible to catch Anonymous,” Anderson said. “I don’t condone what they’re doing, but I’m glad they’re pointing out these flaws”