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February 20, 2009, 03:47 PM ET
U. of Florida Network Breached Again, Exposing Personal Data of More Than 97,000 People
Attackers broke into a computer service at the University of Florida last month, exposing the personal information of some 97,200 former and current students, professors, and staff members. The incident occurred just two months after a computer breach at the university’s College of Dentistry that exposed personal details about 330,000 current and former patients there.
The attack hit a university computer system called Grove, which had been the university’s main e-mail hub back in the 90s but was in limited use at the time of the breach. The system contained more than a decade’s worth of records, including names and Social Security numbers, according to a statement issued by the university. The university used Social Security numbers as student IDs until 2003.
University officials sent letters to most of those affected — except for some 5,000 people for whom the university has no current addresses on record. In the letters, the institution stressed that it has no evidence that any of the personal information has been used by identity thieves.
Janine Sikes, a spokeswoman for the university, said in an interview Friday that administrators plan to “step up our vigilance” in response to the attack by forming a task force to look into computer security. “And we developed a training program for those people at the university who are responsible for protecting” personal data, Ms. Sikes said. —Jeffrey R. Young
Categories: Security
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