The University of Connecticut issued the following statement on its web site:
University officials are investigating the theft of a laptop computer from UConn’s West Hartford campus that contains the names and social security numbers of 10,174 applicants, many of whom were selected for consideration to attend the regional campus.
The theft of the computer, which was being kept in a storage cabinet at the campus’s information technology department, was discovered Aug. 3. University officials say their investigation indicates no efforts have been made to access University resources through the computer, nor is there any indication the laptop was stolen for the purpose of identity theft. Steps have been taken to prevent unauthorized access to University computer systems through the device.
Information on the computer included files of undergraduate admissions-related data that contained, among other items, the contact information and social security numbers of the applicants. The information spans the period from 2004 through July 30, 2010.
This is the second educational institution reporting a stolen laptop this week, the other being the Yale School of Medicine. Does Attorney General Blumenthal also intend to investigate this breach?