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UCLA data breach effects 800,000

Posted on Dec 12, 2006 by Tom Fragala

UCLA is notifying victims after suffering the largest known data breach ever at a university. This effects around 800,000 current students, former students, applicants, faculty and staff. The database was “fraudulently accessed” starting way back in October 2005! From the LA Times:

In what appears to be one of the largest computer security breaches ever at an American university, one or more hackers have gained access to a UCLA database containing personal information on about 800,000 of the university's current and former students, faculty and staff members, among others.

UCLA officials said the attack on a central campus database exposed records containing the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates — the key elements of identity theft — for at least some of those affected. The attempts to break into the database began in October 2005 and ended Nov. 21, when the suspicious activity was detected and blocked, the officials said.

What to do if you are effected (or think you are):

• Visit the UCLA website on the incident at http://www.identityalert.ucla.edu or call their special hotline at (877) 533-8082. There is a lot of detailed information there.
• Contact one of the three consumer credit reporting companies and place a fraud alert on your credit file and get a copy of your credit report (this is FREE for victims or suspected victims). Do NOT pay for a credit report. Equifax: (888) 766-0008 (http://www.equifax.com), Experian: (888) 397-3742 (http://www.experian.com/fraud), TransUnion: (800) 680-7289 (http://www.tuc.com). You only have to call one of the three, since it should notify the other two. The fraud alert is NOT foolproof and does NOT freeze your credit file. And it only stays in place for 90 days. Your free victim credit report should arrive within 10 business days.