Valdosta State University exposed in data breach
The dangers of security breaches has once again been highlighted after a critical server at the Valdosta State University in Georgia was hacked, compromising highly sensitive personal information of thousands of students and staff.
According to eSecurity Planet, the hacker managed to infiltrate the server and gained access to student grades as well as Social Security numbers. Valdosta officials have now confirmed that up to 170,000 people are thought to be affected.
John Newton, director of the university’s information technology staff, said the breach was first detected on 11 December 2009, and a subsequent investigation found that hackers had accessed the data as far back as 11 November.
