University apologizes for massive breach

[marmar]

HONOLULU (AP) – The Social Security numbers, grades and other personal information of more than 40,000 former University of Hawaii students were posted online for nearly a year before being removed this week, The Associated Press has learned.

University officials told the AP that a faculty member inadvertently uploaded files containing the information to an unprotected server on Nov. 30, 2009, exposing the names, academic performance, disabilities and other sensitive information of 40,101 students who attended the flagship Manoa campus from 1990 to 1998 and in 2001. A handful of students from the West Oahu campus were included in the security breach.

UH-West Oahu spokesman Ryan Mielke said there was no evidence that the faculty member acted maliciously or that any of the information was used improperly. The faculty member, who retired from the West Oahu campus in June, was conducting a study of the success rates of Manoa students, and believed he was uploading the material to a secure server.

The university apologized for the incident, saying it was investigating how it happened. It was notifying the former students by e-mail and letters, and has also alerted the FBI and Honolulu police. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101029/ap_on_hi_te/us_university_security_breach

[dkf]

1. And some idiot doesn't want to call use of incorrect social security numbers a crime?

Identity theft is a big deal. People with data like this in their systems who no longer have a need to know should be required to purge it.