Auburn University confirmed this morning that an unidentified hacker executed a cyber attack on the university’s College of Business network last year.
According to university officials, the hacker accessed the business school’s server between Oct. 21 and Nov. 20, but it is unclear at this point how many times the server was accessed and what information may have been viewed or stolen.
When the university found out late last year that their server had been compromised, they immediately patched the hole in their security and launched an internal investigation that is still underway. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was made aware of the incident and has gotten involved.
“We truly regret the inconvenience and concern that this cyber attack may cause to our college’s constituents,” Harbert College of Business Dean Bill Hardgrave said in a statement. “We take this incident very seriously and hope that the FBI investigation provides answers.”
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It became clear at some point during the university’s investigation that the personal information of students and staff members may have been accessed. The school at that point hired a computer forensics expert to determine the extent of the data breach and to identify which individuals’ information had been compromised. The forensics expert found that the compromised server contained the personal information of just under 14,000 individuals with ties to the school. Social Security Numbers are said to have been part of the data that was compromised, which also included information about what classes current and former students were taking or had taken in the past.
There is currently no evidence suggesting that the personal information files were accessed or used. As a precaution, the university is offering identify theft protection free of charge to individuals impacted by the hack.
“The vulnerable server was repaired immediately, and while the investigation has not revealed any misuse of data, we are prepared to provide all individuals with credit monitoring services,” said Dean Hardgrave.
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