Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
Student Information at Risk in SunGard Laptop Theft
4/24/2008
The State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport has learned reported that a laptop belonging to an employee at SunGard Higher Education, a software company that provides IT services to the university system, was reported stolen March 13. The school learned about the theft April 14 and received copies of the compromised files April 17.According to a statement by the school, the laptop contained private information, including names and social security numbers, for about 1,500 people who included SUNY Brockport in their financial aid application process for the 2002-2003 academic year. The estimated number of enrolled Brockport students who may be affected is much fewer. The school said there have been no confirmed reports of fraud or identity theft.
SunGard said on its Web site that the notebook was used by a consultant whose job included analysis of customer data as part of software implementation and upgrade projects.
The theft was reported to law enforcement, but the laptop has not been recovered. SunGard said it believes that the laptop was stolen for hardware rather than data.
"The College is taking every measure to identify the affected individuals and inform them of this situation. We understand the frustration and anxiety that this may cause for people in our community," said Frank Wojcik, dean for information resources and CIO at the College. "The Information Technology Services staff has been working around the clock to assess the compromised files and verify the personal information they contain."
The school said it will contact people whose information may have been on the stolen laptop by mail. It has set up a Web site to provide information related to the theft.
SunGard has set up a Web site to post information about the data breach and has offered affected individuals a full year of free credit monitoring service through TripleAlert, a service sold by credit reporting firm Experian.
Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business. Send your higher education technology news to her at dian@dischaffhauser.com.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
Recommended Reading
- Gates Highlights R&D at CES08, Unveils Microsoft Touch Wall
Microsoft's Chairman Bill Gates spent a lot of time Wednesday talking about "empowering the workers" at the Microsoft's 12th annual CEO Summit 2008 in Redmond, WA, where he gave a keynote speech. However, Gates wasn't talking about political revolutions or even pay raises for office workers before the CEO crowd. Instead, he was referring to new software technologies that can better enable collaboration, social networking and decision-making on the job.
- Vista Vulnerability Study Puts Microsoft on Defensive
Microsoft and some independent security researchers had the blogosphere buzzing Wednesday over a series of denunciations after one company claimed that the Vista operating system was more vulnerable to malware and other exploits than previous operating systems.
- New Blackboard Sync Application Leverages Facebook
Blackboard Inc. today announced Blackboard Sync, an application that allows students to receive course updates and communicate with classmates while logged on to Facebook.
- Standards: The Sooner the Better
Technology solutions work best when they well together. That is why the nonprofit group IMS Global Learning Consortium is developing learning tools interoperability standards for the education technology community...
- U.K. Education Group Escalates Microsoft Complaints
A consultancy to the U.K. government has forwarded complaints about Microsoft's licensing and interoperability practices to the European Commission (EC), according to an announcement issued by the Becta consulting group Monday.
- University Students and Researchers Enjoy JavaOne
The JavaOne conference, held May 6-9 in San Francisco, brought together developers from industry, education, and other markets, filling the Moscone Convention Center with a wide array of sessions and exhibits for the open source Java developer community.
