University of Wisconsin Exposes 75000 SSNs

Date: 2011-08-11 10:03:06

Less than a year after suffering a breach of 60,000 Social Security Numbers, The University of Wisconsin just suffered another breach losing 75,000 more Social Security Numbers.

According to a University FAQ, On May 25, 2011, the University of Wisconsin shut down an imaging system after finding suspicious programs on a server.

The University reports to have launched an investigation with the help of a national security expert.

On June 30, 2011 investigators found that a database was included on the system. The database stored names and social security numbers on 75,000 staff members and students of UW-Milwaukee. According to the university, the system also contained other files containing personal data; however, "based on forensic analysis, they believe it extremely unlikely that hackers actually accessed any of the other files".

The university’s investigators theorize the motive was not identity theft, and could find no evidence of attempts to download names or social security numbers. The university is not offering free monitoring or any type of help to affected individuals.

Category: Breach

Subcategory: Mining