UT-Austin Identity Theft!
Computer hackers have obtained the names and Social Security numbers of about 59,000 current and former students, faculty members and staff at the University of Texas at Austin in one of the largest cases of potential identity theft ever reported.Authorities do not know whether the information has been put to illegal uses such as obtaining credit cards or withdrawing money from financial accounts.
Law enforcement officials were expected to obtain and execute search warrants late Wednesday in Austin and Houston at homes where computers are thought to have been used in the cyberspace break-in.
UT officials suspect the attack was carried out by a student or students, or by people living with students. They said the computer breach could easily have been prevented with basic precautions, adding that the incident will prompt them to redouble security measures and to accelerate a plan to phase out most uses of Social Security numbers on campus.
"We flat out messed up on this one," said Dan Updegrove, the university's vice president for information technology. "Shame on us for leaving the door open, and shame on them for exploiting it. Our number one goal is to get those data back before they get misused."
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Besides names and Social Security numbers, the hackers obtained e-mail addresses and, for some current faculty and staff members, office addresses and phone numbers. No grade, health or benefit records were obtained, Updegrove said.
That's too bad. Those hackers would have had a good laugh at my shitty grades.
UT has set up a website for updates and general information. On that website, however, it says the number of people affected by this is actually 55,200. Additional news here and at Slashdot.