CR80News | After security breach, Harvard unveils new contactless IDs

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University announced that students, faculty, and staff will receive new identification cards based on contactless smart card technology when they return to campus this fall.

The motivation to replace the 15-year-old swipe-style student ID cards occurred last year after a student was caught duplicating the ID cards of the university’s president and an assistant dean among others. The student was able to access buildings and gates across campus with only knowledge of the ID numbers then used on the cards and a $200 card reader he bought from eBay. The new cards are intended to bolster the security of buildings by adding encryption technology and more complex security procedures.

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.

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.

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.

New Schlage smart credential readers unveiled

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies announced the availability of a new line of Schlage contactless smart credential readers - operating on 13.56 MHz frequency – and designed to address the industry’s current requirements while providing a foundation and scalability for future applications.

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.

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After security breach, Harvard unveils new contactless IDs