http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=283728 By Melissa Griffy Seeton REPOSITORY EDUCATION WRITER May 2, 2006 Bob Tscholl has contributed to Ohio University in many respects: He's a Bobcat as are his three children. A recent security breach may mean he'll give a little more. But the Canton attorney has faith the university will do all it can to prevent that. "It kind of goes with the territory," Tscholl said. "Anytime you belong to an organization nowadays, you have to be aware there is some risk ... . I'm not too concerned." Ohio University President Roderick McDavis announced at a press conference Monday that he, too, is among the more than 300,000 alumni and friends of Ohio University - not current students - whose personal information may have been compromised when unauthorized access was gained to a computer system supporting alumni relations. "We are doing everything in our power to reduce the impact of this data theft," Ohio University Associate Provost for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Bill Sams said in a press release. "At this point, we have no evidence of illegal use of the breached information." The breached computer system contained biographical information on more than 300,000 individuals and organizations, including the Social Security numbers of more than 137,000 people, according to university officials. The files did not contain credit-card or bank information. The security violation was discovered on April 24 when, according to Sams, "The university immediately began assessing the situation to determine its extent. Once it became clear that personal information was involved, we began the process of notifying the affected individuals." University officials were unable to confirm Monday how many Ohio University alumni are from the Stark County area. A search of recent college graduates revealed 12 local residents graduated from the school in December and eight received diplomas last May. The FBI is investigating the incident, and university officials said the college will hire an outside consultant to conduct a risk assessment of its computer information systems. A separate security breach occurred at the college on April 21, when office files were compromised at its Technology Transfer Department. The files included e-mails, patent and intellectual property files. Ohio University is at least the third college that has announced in recent months unauthorized access was gained to confidential information. In September, two computers were stolen from Kent State University offices. The computers contained the names and Social Security numbers of practically every student and instructor since 2002, and every graduate since 1988. And, in August, Web site security was breached at Stark State College of Technology. Students couldn't access their own personal information - such as their grades or student loans - instead the personal information of another student was shown, including Social Security numbers. College officials said the incident was not the result of a hacker, but a computer software glitch. Reach Repository writer Melissa Griffy Seeton at (330) 580-8318 or e-mail: melissa.griffy @ cantonrep.com -=- COULD I BE AFFECTED? Ohio University is sending e-mails and letters to people who may have been affected by the security breach. As a precaution, the university will not request personal information electronically as part of this notification. The university cautions people to not disclose personal information if they receive an e-mail - even if it appears to come from the university. The university has established a Web page at www.ohiou.edu/datatheft to provide detailed information, and a toll-free hotline at (800) 901-2303. Source: Ohio University -=- PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IDENTITY THEFT Ohio University recommends that alumni protect themselves from the security breech by: -- Obtaining a free credit report from Equifax (800) 525-6285, Experian (888) 397-3742 and TransUnion (800) 680-7289. -- Calling these three credit reporting agencies to place fraud alerts lasting 90 days on credit inquiries. -- Monitoring credit accounts for any unusual activity during the next several months. Source: Ohio University ©2006 The Repository _________________________________ Attend the Black Hat Briefings and Training, Las Vegas July 29 - August 3 2,500+ international security experts from 40 nations, 10 tracks, no vendor pitches. www.blackhat.com
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