Post by ARod on Apr 29, 2005 10:11:44 GMT -5
www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pfiu29apr29,0,7424368.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
FIU warns of possible ID breach
By Jennifer Peltz
Staff Writer
April 29, 2005
Some Florida International University students, professors and staffers may be at risk of identity theft from a recent computer break-in, the university said this week.
The university still is gauging the extent of the security breach. But for now, there's no evidence of any fraud, FIU information-systems chief John P. McGowan said.
The computer systems that hold thousands of student and employee records are heavily protected and appear to be safe, McGowan said.
But he said cyber-burglars last week may have peeked into 165 campus computers. Some held snippets of sensitive information; employees' lists of their credit-card accounts, for example, or old class rosters that could include students' Social Security numbers. FIU stopped using the Social Security numbers on class lists last year.
It is not known whether the hackers made off with any information, McGowan said. But FIU is advising all students and staffers to activate fraud-alert protections on their credit cards and keep a close watch on their accounts.
Wendy Lee, a junior, said she certainly would. "I don't know whether my information is safe or what," she said. "It's a little freaky that somebody else can have access to my credit card or my records in school."
FIU technology experts are examining 3,000 campus computers, McGowan said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation also is looking into the incident, spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said.
According to McGowan, the electronic intruders apparently dialed into FIU's computers from Europe.
FIU's announcement follows high-profile computer-security breaches at information brokerages, banks, retailers and colleges.
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a California-based, consumer-advocacy group, has counted 19 incidents since mid-February, potentially affecting as many as 4 million people.
Boston College, Northwestern University and Carnegie Mellon University have been among the targets.
For intellectual and financial reasons, college computers sometimes are less guarded than corporate ones.
But with incidents mounting, "Universities and colleges need to take a look at their data-security practices," Privacy Rights Clearinghouse spokeswoman Jordana Beebe said.
FIU is doing that, McGowan said. The university was two years into a major computer-security upgrade, but last week's break-in was "a wake-up call," he said.
"It basically tells us that our network has to be a lot more secure," McGowan said.
Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
Jennifer Peltz can be reached at jpeltz@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6636.
Copyright © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
FIU warns of possible ID breach
By Jennifer Peltz
Staff Writer
April 29, 2005
Some Florida International University students, professors and staffers may be at risk of identity theft from a recent computer break-in, the university said this week.
The university still is gauging the extent of the security breach. But for now, there's no evidence of any fraud, FIU information-systems chief John P. McGowan said.
The computer systems that hold thousands of student and employee records are heavily protected and appear to be safe, McGowan said.
But he said cyber-burglars last week may have peeked into 165 campus computers. Some held snippets of sensitive information; employees' lists of their credit-card accounts, for example, or old class rosters that could include students' Social Security numbers. FIU stopped using the Social Security numbers on class lists last year.
It is not known whether the hackers made off with any information, McGowan said. But FIU is advising all students and staffers to activate fraud-alert protections on their credit cards and keep a close watch on their accounts.
Wendy Lee, a junior, said she certainly would. "I don't know whether my information is safe or what," she said. "It's a little freaky that somebody else can have access to my credit card or my records in school."
FIU technology experts are examining 3,000 campus computers, McGowan said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation also is looking into the incident, spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said.
According to McGowan, the electronic intruders apparently dialed into FIU's computers from Europe.
FIU's announcement follows high-profile computer-security breaches at information brokerages, banks, retailers and colleges.
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a California-based, consumer-advocacy group, has counted 19 incidents since mid-February, potentially affecting as many as 4 million people.
Boston College, Northwestern University and Carnegie Mellon University have been among the targets.
For intellectual and financial reasons, college computers sometimes are less guarded than corporate ones.
But with incidents mounting, "Universities and colleges need to take a look at their data-security practices," Privacy Rights Clearinghouse spokeswoman Jordana Beebe said.
FIU is doing that, McGowan said. The university was two years into a major computer-security upgrade, but last week's break-in was "a wake-up call," he said.
"It basically tells us that our network has to be a lot more secure," McGowan said.
Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
Jennifer Peltz can be reached at jpeltz@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6636.
Copyright © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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