LifeLock » Education data breach

Know what to do if your info is part of a data breach

admin — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:49:40 +0000

Each year, more than 10 million people are victimized by identity thieves. Even if you follow all the advice by the experts, you’re still vulnerable to identity theft because of events beyond your control. The most vigilant and fraud conscious of consumers can have his identity stolen due to a data breach with a source or company that he didn’t even know held his personal information.

Recent headlines spotlighted data breaches at fast food and pharmacy chains, and while it appears that none of the databases contained financial or confidential information, the companies involved still made sure to warn consumers about suspicious e-mails requesting financial or other information that appear to have come from the companies.

Hospitals and government agencies have also been the victims of data breaches. There were at least 498 data breaches reported in 2009, less than the 657 reported the year before. The number was expected to be much higher in 2010, since by mid-year the total number of reported breaches was already higher than the total from the previous year.

Due to the increasing number of incidents, state and federal laws are dictating that companies must be proactive in notifying consumers when there has been a breach. If you receive such a notice and don’t understand it, contact the company directly. If your financial accounts are affected, contact your financial institution and get advice on how to proceed. This may include closing the accounts. You should be sure to check your statements thoroughly as soon as you receive them and contact the bank if there are any questionable entries.

If you are concerned your information may be compromised due to a data breach, you can file a fraud alert with the three credit reporting agencies. They are required to flag your credit report for 90 days and notify you if someone tries to open a new account using your information.

If you are a business owner, you have a responsibility to minimize the risk of and damage from a data breach. Seek assistance from an attorney as soon as you become aware of a data breach. An attorney can help you identify what state and federal law requires you to do.

If you wish to be proactive in protecting your personal information, give LifeLock a call. LifeLock monitors the Internet daily, looking for both credit and non-credit related threats to your information, and you’ll be notified before the damage can be done.

Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

LifeLock reviews: June data breaches at colleges and universities

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:04:39 +0000

June saw only seven reported data breaches at institutions of higher learning—not a terrific month, but certainly not the worst of the past year; that distinction is shared among July, September and December, 2008, when each month showed 13 reported data breaches. Total number of lost or exposed records for June is 171,611.

Last month, there were only four data breaches—the fewest of any month in the last three years.

And now (drum roll, please) we have the down and dirty:

Cornell University
Stolen, unencrypted laptop
45,277 records–Names and Social Security numbers of 22,456 current and former students, and 22,731 current and former employees

Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory’s Website
Hacking
No personally identifying information accessed

University of North Dakota
Stolen, encrypted and password-protected laptop
84,000 records—Personal and financial information of University donors

Kirkwood Community College (Iowa)
Stolen mobile storage device
1,600 records—Names and Social Security numbers of students participating in the PROMISE JOBS program

Oregon Health & Science University
Stolen, password-protected laptop
1,000 records—Names, treatment dates, treatment summaries and medical record numbers of patients

Virginia Commonwealth University
Stolen computer
39,714 records—17,214 students’ names and Social Security numbers; 22,500 students’ names, ID numbers and test scores

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Unauthorized remote access
20 records—students’ personal and financial information

LifeLock review: 7 university data breaches in March

admin — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:22:44 +0000

The education sector was responsible for one-third of all reported data breaches between January 2005 and October 2008, with universities to blame for 79% of those, according to analysis by J. Campana and Associates LLC.

Given the number of university students and employees nationwide, it’s clear that millions of us are at risk of identity theft because of these security lapses.

Educational Security Incidents provided the following information about the seven data breaches that affected more than 50,000 students and employees in March.

Solano Community College, Cal.
Unknown number affected
Improper file disposal
Report containing names, addresses and Social Security numbers of 2008 graduates not shredded, dumped as scrap paper.

Huron University College, Ontario
25,000 affected
Server breached
Names, student ID numbers, birthdates of resident students (1999-present), applicants (1992-2008) and registered students (2004-present) possibly accessed.

University of West Georgia
1,300 affected
Stolen laptop
Laptop contained names, addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers of students and faculty.

Penn State University
1,000 affected
Computer virus
Infected computer stored names, Social Security numbers of employees in 2000.

University of Toledo, Ohio
24,450 affected
Stolen computer
Stolen computer contained directory, educational information of 24,000 students; names, Social Security numbers, birthdates of 450 faculty members stolen.

Western Oklahoma State College
1,500 affected
Server breached
Server controlled access to names, Social Security numbers, other personal information of campus library users 2004 to present.

University of Massachusetts
16 affected
Employee fraud
Illegal access to students’ Facebook accounts; nude photos stolen.