DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

E-number spreadsheet with Eastern Illinois University student data leaked

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Dissent

Chacour Koop reports:

The grade point averages of 430 students were released to 65 students about two and a half weeks ago, which is a violation of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Robert Miller, Eastern’s general counsel, has refused to comment on the violations. Sue Harvey, Eastern’s registrar and FERPA officer, has not responded to multiple emails about the violations.

The spreadsheet was accidentally leaked and also included the E-number of each of the 430 students. Eastern designates E-numbers as public directory information, unless students file a petition with the university registrar.

[…]

OK, while I give the student publication credit for trying to cover a privacy/data security breach,  the real headline should be that students generally have no real recourse when there’s been an unintentional release of their education records. FERPA does not provide for an individual cause of action, the U.S. Department of Education does not require it be notified of breaches, and this is all going nowhere.  Even taking a worst case scenario: someone is horribly embarrassed by their grades and a recipient of the spreadsheet anonymously uploads it all to the Internet, there is generally no recourse for students who feel they have been harmed by a breach.  The university would have an obligation to try to mitigate harm, but other than asking recipients to securely delete the attachment and following up on that, what does the university really have to do?

In this case, the University should tell the students what it intends to do to prevent a future recurrence of this type of e-mail breach. But other than that, what do you think they have to do or should do?

Category: Breach IncidentsCommentaries and AnalysesEducation SectorExposureU.S.

Post navigation

← Sony fined £250,000 after millions of UK gamers’ details compromised in 2011 Playstation hack
britam defence hacked, confidential documents leaked, site offline →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Central Maine Healthcare tackles suspected cybersecurity issue; hospitals remain open
  • Cartier Data Breach: Luxury Retailer Warns Customers that Personal Data Was Exposed
  • Beyond the Pond Phish: Unraveling Lazarus Group’s Evolving Tactics
  • Akira doesn’t keep its promises to victims — SuspectFile
  • Fraudsters, murderers, students: who the GRU assembled a team of hacker provocateurs from and why it failed
  • Order of Psychologists of Lombardy fined 30,000 € for inadequate data security protection and detection following ransomware attack
  • Lower Merion School District says a data breach was caused by a computer glitch (1)
  • After $1 Million Ransom Demand, Virgin Islands Lottery Restores Operations Without Paying Hackers
  • Junior Defence Contractor Arrested For Leaking Indian Naval Secrets To Suspected Pakistani Spies
  • Mysterious leaker GangExposed outs Conti kingpins in massive ransomware data dump

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Stewart Baker vs. Orin Kerr on “The Digital Fourth Amendment”
  • Fears Grow Over ICE’s Reach Into Schools
  • Resource: HoganLovells Asia-Pacific Data, Privacy and Cybersecurity Guide 2025
  • She Got an Abortion. So A Texas Cop Used 83,000 Cameras to Track Her Down.
  • Why AI May Be Listening In on Your Next Doctor’s Appointment
  • Watch out for activist judges trying to deprive us of our rights to safe reproductive healthcare
  • Nebraska Bans Minor Social Media Accounts Without Parental Consent

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.