Power Surge at NDSU Left Student Records Vulnerable
- By Paul McCloskey
- 06/12/07
North Dakota State University officials confirmed there was a two-week security breach that left payroll and student loan vulnerable to unauthorized access via the Internet.
John Adams, NDSU's vice resident for finance and administration, said the records were stored on computers owned and maintained by a vendor that was archiving electronic copies of paper documents. The records were compromised after a power surge, he said.
Among the types of records compromised were job descriptions, retirement and health insurance forms of campus employees, and payroll deposit forms that contain names, social security numbers, and bank account records.
NDSU was "reviewing procedures where private vendors have access to confidential information and the security measures they use to protect the data." The school has also removed the computers from online access. The exact number of people affected is still being determined, Adams, added.
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About the Author
Paul McCloskey is contributing editor of Syllabus.