Slashdot Mirror
Pearson Credential Manager System Used By Cisco, IBM, F5 Has Been Breached
An anonymous reader writes with a report from Help Net Security that the credential management system used by Pearson VUE (part of education company and publisher Pearson) has been breached "by an unauthorized third party with the help of malware." Pearson VUE specializes in computer-based assessment testing for regulatory and certification boards. From the story:
Over 450 credential owners (including IT organizations such as IBM, Adobe, etc.) across the globe use the company's solutions to develop, manage, deliver and grow their testing programs. The company is still assessing the scope of the breach, and says that they do not think that US Social Security numbers or full payment card information were compromised. But because the PMC is custom designed to fit specific customer requirements, they are still looking into how this incident affected each of their customers.
According to a note on Pearson's site, the system remains down for the time being.
Got the email last night stemming from my old Veritas certs.
Solving Unix problems since 1989...
I know I got emails from them with information about my certification exams. Haven't seen any email relating to this breach yet.
Prices plummet worldwide on wallpaper as the credentialism plague spreads.
for their textbook prices.
Not sure on the PearsonVUE side, but the regular Pearson Learning - for access to their publisher created resources/course content - stores passwords as clear text.
I've reported it as a BIG issue to our local sales rep and the regional boss rep, but I don't think anything has been done about it.
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
As a government I.T. worker with a security clearance, my background investigative file got stolen by the Chinese earlier. Now my certification records are stolen. What's next?
Think I went through these gius to get the CompTIA Security+ certification.
Why would so many companies(some with actual software development experience; and others dangerously willing to try, like Adobe) put up with Pearson software?
I realize that testing isn't a core competency and whatnot; but Pearson provides software; as written by people who shouldn't be allowed to write textbooks; but who are dangerously good at writing contracts. It couldn't possibly be worse if Adobe took a stab at writing a testing module based on some hideous combination of shockwave Xtras and Coldfusion. Hell, extending Lotus Notes to test people for specific credentials, as well as test their sanity, would produce a better result. Why? Why Pearson?
Sweet!
The outcome is what, exactly, more paper MCSEs and H1Bs running around claiming that they're qualified?
When you can get 100 copies of an exam on the Internet, certifications mean nothing.
Some time around 1996 I was trying to get MCSD and they failed me by no more than 3 points 8 times on the last test. I had bought nearly every book on the subject. I have lost faith in these tests. There was even a question asking me if i'd suggest using Microsoft products or not to a client.
I think they just didn't want to give me the certification. I even asked to challenge it, and I was told I could only challenge a question.
wow... 500 affected customers... such news ... truly slashdot worthy
Its Pearson what else can you say.
They are one of the worst companies, enough said.
What operating system did this malware run on?
First thought, Now every kid can hack their semester grades. Second thought, the real problem is Pearson can no longer sell access to student's academic history.