CR80News | Stolen university laptop may have contained personal information

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Theft of a laptop belonging to a University of West Georgia faculty member, may have put the identities of some 1,300 current and former students at risk. Information on the computer may have included the student’s name, address, phone, student ID number or Social Security number. The Carrollton, Ga. institution has notified the affected individuals about the situation in a letter sent to their last known address.

The laptop was stolen when the faculty member was traveling overseas last summer. A report was filed with the university but at the time no mention was made about personal information being stored on the computer. That possibility wasn’t discovered until recently when it was learned that a computer with improperly configured software, utilized by the same faculty member, may have allowed the exposure of university files over the Internet.

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.

ID theft prevalent among young adults

It takes young adults–those between the ages of 18 and 24–some 132 days before they realize they’ve had their identity stolen. In that time, they’ve lost five times the amount of money compared to other age groups, according to Washington State University’s student newspaper.

Student data stolen and then sold to the highest bidder

Thousands of students’ personal information were illegally obtained during a national college entrance exam in China and then sold to a local news reporter for a mere $43, according to the Global Times.

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.

VASCO advises schools to secure their online platforms

More schools are now using online platforms to distribute and exchange information, such as course documents and online tests. These same online platforms also serve as an administrative tool, containing personal data on students and staff. To prevent identity and data theft, online applications used by schools and universities need to be protected.

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.

Subscribe

Print Magazine

Featured Events

Links

Searching …

Stolen university laptop may have contained personal information