Cornell Computer Theft Puts 45,000 At Risk of Identity Theft

PL/SQL Guy writes "This afternoon, Cornell alerted over 45,000 current and former members of the University community that their confidential personal information — including name and social security number — had been leaked when a University-owned computer was stolen. A Cornell employee had access to this data for troubleshooting purposes, and the files storing the sensitive information were being stored on a computer that was not physically secure. The university is not disclosing details about the theft. This isn't the first breach for Cornell; last June, a computer at Cornell used for administrative purposes was hacked, and the University alerted 2,500 students and alumni that their personal information had potentially been stolen."

Comments

Well, that's gotta' be mod abuse.

[Gazzonyx]

I have no idea why this is modded funny. The correct moderation for this is +1 "We feel your pain, please revoke the user's privs. Immediately"

CIT sucks, not Cornell

[tangentreality]

I was one of the 45,000. And although I agree that CIT is one of the most incompetent IT staffs I have ever come into contact with, keep in mind that CIT's actions do not necessarily reflect the knowledge of the general student body. I know plenty of freshmen who know more about computers than the CIT staff. It's frustrating when you call the IT department and then YOU have to explain to THEM how to fix the problem you're having with your internet connection.

So for all of you bashing Cornell: going to Cornell won't mean that you learn less about computers and security because of the IT staff being dumb. Knowledge of IT staff does not equal quality of classes when the selection process for hiring those staff members is as bad as it is. On top of that, most of the people who should be IT staff don't want to be. And at any school you'll have problems with the administration or the staff being incompetent in some way, that's just how it works.