[Dataloss] West Seneca School District notifying 1,800 employees

[rchick]

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/321395.html

Several current and former Williamsville North High School students are
believed to have broken into the school district's computer system last
month and copied secure files that included the personal information and
Social Security numbers of school employees, authorities say.

This computer breach marks the third time in the past month that students
have gained unauthorized access to sensitive information in area school
districts.

Students in the Grand Island and West Seneca districts have been charged
with unauthorized computer use.

"From talking with staff and from talking with students involved, we know
these students gained access to personal information regarding employees of
the school district," Amherst Police Chief John Askey said.

The students, Askey said, overrode the security defenses of a classroom
computer at Williamsville North and went trolling for information.

"They actively attacked the system — subverted those security procedures and
precautions," he said.

He added that several of the hackers are considered "very bright kids" and
good students with no lengthy disciplinary records.

The extent of the security breach remains unknown because police are
required to have computer evidence extracted by the Western New York
Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, Askey said, which might take several
weeks.

But he added that police know the students may have accessed personal staff
data. This prompted Superintendent Howard S. Smith to send a letter this
week to the district's 1,800 employees, asking them to notify Amherst police
if they uncover any suspicious credit card or banking activity.

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