'Did ya' hear the one about the computer operator who . . . ?'

Contact: Sammy McDavid

STARKVILLE, Miss.--"The Dumbest Ideas in Computer Security."

That's the intriguing title of an Oct. 22 public program at Mississippi State sponsored by the university's Center for Computer Security Research.

The 2:30 p.m. presentation by independent consultant Charles "Chuck" Pfleeger will take place in 100 Butler Hall. Pfleeger, a former University of Tennessee faculty member, holds the rank of Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

A computer science doctoral graduate of Pennsylvania State University, he is the author (with Shari Lawrence Pfleeger) of "Security of Computing," the standard collegiate textbook on the subject.

"Among other positions, Dr. Pfleeger has been a master security architect on the staff of the chief security office of Cable and Wireless, and Exodus Communication," said CCSR director Ray Vaughn. Both are among the world's leading communication companies.

In addition to directing the center and holding the Billie J. Ball Professorship in Computer Science and Engineering, Vaughn is one of MSU's William L. Giles Distinguished Professors, the land-grant institution's highest faculty honor.

Located at the intersection of Barr Avenue and George Perry Street, Butler Hall is the home of the computer science and engineering department and the Center for Computer Security Research.

For additional information on the program, contact Vaughn at 662-325-7450 or vaughn@cse.msstate.edu.

For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.