IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

Faculty, Student Data Compromised in Oregon State Breach

The names and emails of 1,700 Oregon State University students and faculty were exposed after a hacker accessed a computer server. Officials say no Social Security numbers or financial data were exposed in the incident.

OSU
Shutterstock
(TNS) — Personal information of some Oregon State University students and faculty members may have been compromised during a computer security breach this summer.

A hacker accessed a computer server for the university’s Ecampus online education program, gaining access to records containing the names and OSU email addresses of about 1,700 students and faculty, the university announced on Thursday.

In the case of some of those individuals, the hacker also gained access to their personal mailing addresses and phone numbers.

No Social Security numbers or financial data were exposed in the incident, according to university officials.

“We discovered the security incident on July 27, undertook an investigation of the breach and contacted state and federal authorities, including the FBI,” OSU spokesman Steve Clark said.

The hacker has not yet been identified, but the FBI is pursuing a criminal investigation into the matter, Clark added.

In the meantime, OSU has taken steps to eliminate the security issues that allowed the breach to happen and has put the server back in operation with the new security measures in place.

The university has notified everyone affected by the breach and is offering free credit monitoring and other services. Students and faculty can call 541-713-0400 during business hours for more information.

Clark said such cyberattacks have become commonplace in recent years. The last computer security breach at OSU happened in May 2019 and affected 630 records.

“Any number of records being compromised is a matter of importance to the university,” Clark added. “The university’s efforts to protect its records and advance its security systems is a daily exercise as a result of the pressure global cybercriminals place on security systems.”

©2020 Albany Democrat-Herald, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.