[Dataloss] Security of data analyzed in study

[security curmudgeon]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: InfoSec News <alerts at infosecnews.org>

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2008/02/26/security_of_data_analyzed_in_s.aspx

By Elizabeth Murphy
Collegian Staff Writer
February 26, 2008

Information security breaches at colleges and universities are on the 
rise, according to a report released earlier this month.

The report, Educational Security Incidents (ESI) Year in Review, 
spotlights institutions worldwide, and Penn State was included in the 
report with one data breach last year.

In September, the Social Security numbers of more than 10,500 marines were 
inadvertently posted on a Penn State Web site. The names and numbers were 
compiled for a research project being conducted at Penn State, according 
to the report.

"My goal with ESI is to, hopefully, increase awareness within higher 
education that not only is information security a concern, but that the 
threats to college and university information is not as simple as network 
and/or computer attacks," Adam Dodge, ESI creator, wrote in an e-mail.

The report indicated that there were a total 139 incidents at institutions 
during 2007, a 67.5 percent increase since 2006. The total number of 
institutions affected by data breaches also went up to 112, a 72.3 percent 
increase since 2006.

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