Brett Rowland and Kate Schott report: As much as $350,000 reported stolen from Crystal Lake District 47 bank accounts earlier this summer could be linked to cyberthefts at other suburban schools. The FBI’s Chicago office is investigating the cases, at least one of which involves a hard-to-detect computer virus. No arrests have been made or…
Category: Education Sector
Hacker hits UNC-Chapel Hill study data
From McClatchy Newspapers: A hacker has infiltrated a computer server housing the personal data of 236,000 women enrolled in a UNC-Chapel Hill research study. Among the information exposed: the Social Security numbers of 163,000 study participants. Though the intrusion was detected in late July, computer forensics experts say it may have happened two years ago,…
Former Miami-Dade County Public Schools employee pleads guilty to credit card fraud and ID theft
A former employee of Miami-Dade County Public Schools pleaded guilty today in federal court to one count of credit card fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. According to information made public at her plea hearing, Roshell Demps, 28, worked in the Risk & Benefits Office at the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS), and…
EKU posted about 5,000 Social Security numbers online for a year
The names and Social Security numbers of about 5,000 Eastern Kentucky University faculty, staff and student workers were posted inadvertently on the Internet last September, where they have been displayed for a year, according to EKU President Doug Whitlock. There’s no evidence the information was accessed or replicated, Whitlock said in a campus-wide e-mail sent…
Study: 600K campus records hacked this year
Dennis Carter reports: Computer hackers reportedly have stolen identifying information and credit card numbers from more than half a million — some 600,000 — college students, faculty, and alumni this year. This is prompting some campus IT officials to call for a “total overhaul” of computer security protocol. Identity Theft 911, an Arizona-based company founded…
Stolen laptops contain some private student information
Dave Aeikens reports: Two laptop computers stolen from Roosevelt Early Childhood Center contained private student information, St. Cloud school officials said Thursday. The laptops contain information about student behavioral issues and include names, internal identification numbers and the number of discipline referrals. Addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers are not listed on the computers….