RICHARDSON, Texas – The following is an announcement from the University of Texas, which experienced a data breach July 31. In a growing trend of data breaches throughout the country, as many as 9,100 individuals are at risk for having all of their personal information exposed at the university.
A breach of security in a computing network could have resulted in the exposure of personally identifiable information of 9,100 individuals, officials with The University of Texas at Dallas announced July 31.
The potentially exposed information includes at least a portion or all of the following: names, addresses, Social Security numbers, email addresses and telephone numbers.
“We are very sorry this happened,” said Dr. Jim Gary, vice president and chief information officer for UT Dallas. “We would never seek to minimize the impact of such an event, but we find no indication that the information has been disclosed, disseminated or used to anyone’s detriment. We are working to inform anyone who is potentially at risk.”
Individuals involved are being contacted by email and letter. The group consists of:
- 4,406 students who were on the Dean’s List or graduated between 2000 and 2003.
- 3,892 students who were contacted to take part in a survey by the Office of Undergraduate Education in 2002.
- 88 staff members from Facilities Management.
- 716 faculty/staff members listed in a space inventory record from 2001.
The University is actively cooperating with law enforcement agencies to identify the source of this attack. The potential disclosure of data was discovered July 12 by the University’s information resources staff, which immediately began an investigation and remediation in cooperation with appropriate law enforcement agencies.
More information is available at:
For more information:
- Personal Data of University of Miami Patients Stolen
- Harvard Implements New ID System
- Florida University Discovers Security Breach, 11,000 Affected
Related articles:
- Data Breach Prevention: 13 Best Practices You Should Implement
- On Patrol: When Logical and Physical Access Collide
University of Texas July 31, 2008 press release
