University of Indianapolis Experiences Data Breach Affecting 11,000

The University of Indianapolis information technology staff along with outside security experts are investigating a data breach that reportedly occurred on September 18. A hacker gained access to the university's computer system and the personal information (including Social Security numbers) of 11,000 students, staff, and faculty. According to the university, the compromised records were at least two years old, and they are unsure whether or not anything was done with the information but that it was compromised.

The university president, who is among those whose information was compromised in the data breach, said that those affected would be notified by mail as well as email. The school is also offering victims one year of free credit monitoring. Investigators are sure the compromise originated from outside the University of Indianapolis and believe it may have originated outside the United States since a foreign language was discovered embedded in programming code.

While the University of Indianapolis is not the first educational institution to experience a data breach this year, this one definitely puts thousands of people at risk of identity theft. This data breach involves information that dates back to when the university used Social Security numbers to keep track of students, faculty, and staff, a practice the school no longer uses. But the damage has already been done. Perhaps many institutions' transition from the use of Social Security numbers should have began much earlier. While we cannot change the past, we can learn from these mistakes and move on. The use of one's Social Security number should be limited.