WREG reports: Memphis Police charged 32 year old Erin Crutcher and 25-year-old Melissa Harris with identity theft trafficking. They’re accused of stealing the names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of hundreds of Memphis City School students. Now, Special Agent in Charge Rick Harlow says, the case has been transferred to the Secret Service….
Category: Education Sector
OH: Newark police investigating student information included in letters sent to school
Seth Roy reports: Newark police are investigating a report filed this week that alleges leaders of the new Eagle Wings Academy took student information from Excel Academy to contact school districts. On May 9, Marlene Jacob — former Excel director and current Eagle Wings director — sent letters to districts that contract with Excel about…
UK: University of Kent ‘unlawfully’ disclosed disability data
Zack Whittaker writes: The University of Kent has been found to have breached data protection rules as a result of a disclosure of personal data, relating to an email which could identify other students with disabilities.Yesterday, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK data protection agency, assessed that the University unlawfully disclosed personal data, mostly…
Catch a clue from an EDU: Universities that get security right
Mary K. Pratt reports: Professor Corey Schou was working in his school’s library when he realized his computer was picking up a particularly strong Wi-Fi signal. Normally that would be welcome news. But Schou knew that spot was usually a dead zone, which meant something was probably amiss. So Schou, a professor of informatics at…
IL: 2002 records unintentionally released
I missed this breach involving Eastern Illinois University that was reported in the Daily Eastern News several weeks ago, but DataLossDB.org noticed it: Coarsely shredded documents displaying the names and Social Security numbers of Eastern employees in 2002 have been unintentionally released because of improper disposal. “EIU officials are still in the process of determining which years’ information…
Breach costly for researcher, UNC-CH
Eric Ferreri reports: A prominent cancer researcher at UNC-Chapel Hill spent at least $350,000 fighting for her job. It wasn’t enough. Bonnie Yankaskas, an epidemiologist in the medical school, retires at the end of 2011, as stipulated in a settlement that restores her rank and full salary. UNC-CH officials wanted to fire Yankaskas, whom they…