Documents are stolen from K-State instructor's car
Technorati Tag: Security Breach
Date Reported:
8/27/08
Organization:
Kansas State University
Contractor/Consultant/Branch:
Division of Continuing Education
Victims:
Students
Number Affected:
86
Types of Data:
"names and Social Security numbers"
Breach Description:
"MANHATTAN - Eighty-six Kansas State University students are receiving letters from the Division of Continuing Education advising them that papers with their names and Social Security numbers on them were stolen from a parked vehicle last week."
Reference URL:
The Topeka Capital-Journal
Report Credit:
The Topeka Capital-Journal
Response:
From the online sources cited above:
MANHATTAN - Eighty-six Kansas State University students are receiving letters from the Division of Continuing Education advising them that papers with their names and Social Security numbers on them were stolen from a parked vehicle last week.
An instructor for classes offered through the Division of Continuing Education, taught through the UFM Community Learning Center, reported an Aug. 15 overnight theft of numerous items from a car, which was parked outside a Manhattan residence.
Items taken included a backpack with a list of names and Social Security numbers of 86 K-State students who had taken that instructor’s classes from fall 2007 through summer 2008.
[Evan] Some people make fraud too easy for criminals. The burglar is already a criminal, so we can assume that he/she already has bad intentions.
The instructor reported the theft to the Riley County Police Department Aug. 16 and to K-State officials Aug. 18.
Riley County police are investigating.
Artur Gregorian is a junior. Is he worried about identity theft?
"Not really," he said.
That same student was concerned after learning of the thefts.
"That's a lot of information they've got. Social Security numbers can get you anything they want basically. So that would concern me a lot," Gregorian said.
[Evan] What does this tell you? I don't think that this mentality is all that unusual. People aren't concerned until something happens.
Sue Maes, the interim dean says, "We've given the students who were affected full information about how to check credit info, alert various places about credit fraud."
[Evan] What has the school given victims that they couldn't have already gotten easily for free?
University officials say nothing like this has ever happened, but even before the theft, a new policy using student ID numbers instead of Social Security numbers was put in place this fall.
[Evan] Nothing like this as in how? K-State did expose 128 international students' personal information on a web site in November of last year.
So far there have been no reports of any of the 86 students identities being used illegally.
the department where the thefts occurred is having teachers shred their old documents with sensitive student information on them.
[Evan] This is a good idea. Do you suppose they came up with this by themselves?
Commentary:
Thank God this breach only affects 86 students. The fact that this information was printed on paper should serve as a good example to justify the argument that information security is not an IT issue. Information security is a business issue.
Past Breaches:
November, 2007 - 128 international students exposed on K-State web site
Date Reported:8/27/08
Organization:
Kansas State University
Contractor/Consultant/Branch:
Division of Continuing Education
Victims:
Students
Number Affected:
86
Types of Data:
"names and Social Security numbers"
Breach Description:
"MANHATTAN - Eighty-six Kansas State University students are receiving letters from the Division of Continuing Education advising them that papers with their names and Social Security numbers on them were stolen from a parked vehicle last week."
Reference URL:
The Topeka Capital-Journal
Report Credit:
The Topeka Capital-Journal
Response:
From the online sources cited above:
MANHATTAN - Eighty-six Kansas State University students are receiving letters from the Division of Continuing Education advising them that papers with their names and Social Security numbers on them were stolen from a parked vehicle last week.
An instructor for classes offered through the Division of Continuing Education, taught through the UFM Community Learning Center, reported an Aug. 15 overnight theft of numerous items from a car, which was parked outside a Manhattan residence.
Items taken included a backpack with a list of names and Social Security numbers of 86 K-State students who had taken that instructor’s classes from fall 2007 through summer 2008.
[Evan] Some people make fraud too easy for criminals. The burglar is already a criminal, so we can assume that he/she already has bad intentions.
The instructor reported the theft to the Riley County Police Department Aug. 16 and to K-State officials Aug. 18.
Riley County police are investigating.
Artur Gregorian is a junior. Is he worried about identity theft?
"Not really," he said.
That same student was concerned after learning of the thefts.
"That's a lot of information they've got. Social Security numbers can get you anything they want basically. So that would concern me a lot," Gregorian said.
[Evan] What does this tell you? I don't think that this mentality is all that unusual. People aren't concerned until something happens.
Sue Maes, the interim dean says, "We've given the students who were affected full information about how to check credit info, alert various places about credit fraud."
[Evan] What has the school given victims that they couldn't have already gotten easily for free?
University officials say nothing like this has ever happened, but even before the theft, a new policy using student ID numbers instead of Social Security numbers was put in place this fall.
[Evan] Nothing like this as in how? K-State did expose 128 international students' personal information on a web site in November of last year.
So far there have been no reports of any of the 86 students identities being used illegally.
the department where the thefts occurred is having teachers shred their old documents with sensitive student information on them.
[Evan] This is a good idea. Do you suppose they came up with this by themselves?
Commentary:
Thank God this breach only affects 86 students. The fact that this information was printed on paper should serve as a good example to justify the argument that information security is not an IT issue. Information security is a business issue.
Past Breaches:
November, 2007 - 128 international students exposed on K-State web site
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