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Student indentities compromised By Amanda Seef A laptop that contained personal information of The College at Brockport students was reported stolen in early March. The laptop belonged to an employee of SunGard Higher Education, a company that provides services such as the Campus Information System. The theft occurred more than a month ago and Brockport was notified of the breach of personal information April 14. The college has received copies of the compromised files and is analyzing them to determine which students were affected. The files that were stored on the computer included approximately 1,500 individuals who listed Brockport in their financial aid application for the 2002-03 academic year. The number of affected enrolled students is fewer than the initially estimated 1,500 students, though Brockport has taken immediate action to determine who the affected students are. “The College is taking every measure to identify the affected individuals and inform them of this situation,” Frank Wojcik, dean for Information Resources and chief information officer, said. “We understand the frustration and anxiety that this may cause for people in our community. The information Technology Services staff has been working around the clock to assess the compromised files and verify the personal information they contain.” SunGard Higher Education powers the Campus Information System, commonly known as Banner. Most students’ Banner information includes social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, security questions and Banner ID numbers. As soon as Brockport officials can confirm the affected students, they will be contacted by mail. While there have not been any confirmed reports of fraud or identity theft, SunGard and Brockport are suggesting students place a free fraud alert on credit files. Federal law allows individuals to place a fraud alert on files, free of charge, for an initial period of 90 days. The alert notifies creditors to take additional steps in verifying identity prior to allowing credit opened in the individual’s name. Law enforcement officials were notified of the theft March 13, but the laptop has not been recovered. It is believed that the laptop was taken for hardware and the data stored on the hard drive was not the motive of the theft. The laptop was protected with a strong password to access the operating system. The job of the employee who was responsible for the stolen laptop included analysis of customer data as part of the implementation of software and upgrade projects. Social Security numbers for 16,000 SUNY Buffalo students was compromised, as well as approximately 20 students from Monroe Community College. More information will be published as it becomes available. Brockport has set up a Web page at www.brockport.edu/laptoptheft. |
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