[ISN] Ohio U. Suspends Two Over Hackers' Theft

[InfoSec News]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/95-06202006-673296.html

The Associated Press
June 20, 2006

ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio University said Tuesday it has suspended two
information technology supervisors over recent breaches by hackers who
may have stolen 173,000 Social Security numbers from school computers.

The school did not identify the director of communications network
services - identified on the school's Web site as Thomas Reid - and
manager of Internet and systems. Both were suspended pending the
school's investigation of the breaches, five of which have happened
since March 2005.

A message was left late Tuesday at a home phone listing for Reid.

Citing results from an independent audit, the school also said
University President Roderick McDavis will ask trustees for up to $2
million to improve computer security. McDavis said he deeply regretted
the inconvenience and stress the breaches caused university employees.
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"We hold ourselves fully accountable," McDavis wrote Monday in an
e-mail to faculty and staff.

The school said in April it had discovered a computer breach at its
training center for fledgling businesses. Since then, electronic
break-ins also were reported at the school's alumni office, health
center and the department that handles records for businesses the
university hires.

Students, alumni and employees have been told to run credit checks and
place fraud watches on their credit card and bank accounts. About two
dozen people have told the school they were victimized by identity
theft in the past year.

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On the Net:

Ohio University data theft: http://www.ohio.edu/datatheft