Computer users beware: As the bad guys disrupt traffic on the information highway, cyber security becomes an increasing concern.

"The more we depend on computer systems, the more vulnerable we become to having those systems disrupted," said Howard Schmidt, vice president and chief information security officer at eBay and former cyber security adviser to President Bush.

Cyber patrol -- the protection of information systems -- involves academia and the private sector to a greater extent than the protection of physical facilities, which is more a function of government, Schmidt said.

The maxim often linked with protecting the environment, "think globally, act locally," applies to cyber security, Schmidt said.

Schmidt spoke yesterday at the Cyber Corps Symposium, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University. An estimated 160 students from 22 universities were expected to participate in the four-day symposium wrapping up tomorrow. The event included a job fair.

A new federal program in which the students are participants is designed to attract and train more information security professionals.

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