While plagarism is a problem that plagues all arenas of academia (can be as subtle as overlooking a reference to a source), this particular story concerns the International Islamic University in Islamabad where two (probably graduate) students and a professor are accused of plagiarising a paper by industry security guru Bruce Schneier and colleagues.
While the professor claims only to have appended his name to the paper, I agree with Schneier’s commentary that he is still responsible for lack of due diligence.
In the vast web of information, it’s getting increasingly difficult to track down plagiarism and in a sense, the whole plagiarism business (essays.org etc) is compromising the academic culture and true worth of having a degree.
Further, stories like this bring considerable harm to the reputation of not only the institution in question but also Pakistan educational institutions in general. In my opinion, these students should be made an example of to not only strongly discourage this practise but also to make it clear that the International Islamic University in Islamabad’s integrity is intact.