Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia is investigating unlawful access to a campus server which may have exposed 4,250 Social Security numbers belonging to current, former and prospective residents of graduate family housing.
Evidence indicates a hacker with an overseas IP address attempted to gain access to the server between Dec. 29 and 31. The server contained the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of 540 current residents of graduate family housing and another 3,710 who are either former or prospective residents. The university immediately took the server off-line upon discovery of the problem on Dec. 31 and will attempt to contact each of those individuals directly to inform them that their information may have been exposed.
There is no evidence that any of the information was actually accessed or misused, said Stan Gatewood, UGA’s chief information security officer, but he encouraged each of those involved to review the Federal Trade Commission website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or the Georgia attorney general’s website at www.Stopidentitytheft.org. By following the steps recommended, individuals can minimize the chance of identity theft or unauthorized credit card use, Gatewood said.
“We deeply regret this situation and will take steps to notify and support the affected students and alumni,” said Arnett C. Mace Jr., senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “We will review the measures that were in place on this server and reiterate our protocols for maintaining security against such intrusions.”
