Data Breach Could Cost U. of Delaware Up to $19M
NEWARK, Del. — Hackers have launched a cyber attack on a University of Delaware computer system, which has exposed as many as 72,000 people to identity theft.
School officials noticed the breach on July 22, five days after hackers exploited a security flaw in the university’s Web-based software. The hackers stole names, addresses, Social Security numbers and university identification numbers of current and past employees, including student workers, USA Today reports.
It is unclear if the suspects were able to copy other sensitive records from the software, nor did officials mention how far back the stolen employee records date.
University officials informed the campus community of the breach through E-mail; however, many of the messages went to recipients’ spam folders, prompting them to believe the E-mails were fraudulent.
The breach could cost the university between $13 million to $19 million to correct the error.
Related Articles:
- U.S. Universities Face Millions of Cyber Attacks Weekly
- Cybercrime Report: Most Breaches Are Low-Tech
- DHS Issues Guidance on Protecting Hospital Medical Equipment From Cyber Attacks
- 100 Universities’ Servers Breached by Hacking Group
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!