CR80News | Another university bids goodbye to Social Security numbers

Monday, May 5, 2008

While the University of Arizona has eliminated use of Social Security numbers to identify most students, there are still some–about 4,400–who cling to the Social Security numbering concept. That’s going to change the last weekend in May when those numbers will be dropped in favor of the random-generation numbering sequence the university now uses, according to UA’s student publication The Wildcat Online.

Even though Social Security numbers for the most part were eliminated about seven years ago, students could choose to continue to use their old number because, as one administrator commented, it was easier to remember. Most of the students with the old numbers are now grad students.

More than 4,000 University of Maine students’ personal information may have been compromised in a recent server breach, according to Seacoast Online.

Accessed was a pair of files servers on the university’s Orno campus, containing names and Social Security numbers, as well as confidential clinical records dating back to 2002. Officials reported that the servers contained information about 4,585 students who have sought mental health services from the campus counseling center.

UTA security breach exposes 30,000 medical files

The University of Texas at Arlington was recently victimized by an outside computer attack, which resulted in unauthorized access to medical files belonging to nearly 30,000 faculty, staff and students, according to a local news report.

PSU hit again, exposing over 15,000 students information

Penn State University has yet again been victimized with another data breach situation resulting in the possible compromise of 15,800 student’s personal information, according to eSecurity Planet.

UConn breach results in theft of private information

An UConn computer with the names and Social Security Numbers of more than 10,000 university applicants was stolen, according to a local news report.

The computer, stolen from an IT storage cabinet at university’s West Hartford campus, had applicant files ranging from 2004 through July 30. UConn officials are still investigating the theft, which was discovered on Aug. 3.

Automated library service exposes student and faculty personal data

The College Center for Library Automation in Tallahassee sent out notices about a software upgrade that may have left about 30,000 students, faculty and staff Social Security numbers and other private data vulnerable for theft, according to a local news article.

UH security breach affects SSNs and credit cards

University of Hawaii officials made an announcement that a hacker was able to breach the security of a parking office server, which contained the personal information of some 53,000 people, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser.

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Another university bids goodbye to Social Security numbers