The Education System is facing an ever growing cybersecurity threat. Schools and other large institutions are being targeted by hackers looking to steal the sensitive data of teachers and students. I, not unlike many, have spent thousands of dollars and accumulated debt to attend college…so, is it too much to ask of them to protect my data?
The most recent attack was on the University of Central Florida (UCF) discovered early last month. Approximately 63,000 Social Security numbers and names of former and current UCF students and employees were stolen. Joel Hartman, the overseer of UCF’s IT department, stated that it is unclear who is responsible for the hack, although it likely was done by multiple individuals over time.
In an effort to answer any questions by those who were affected, UCF launched a website (http://www.ucf.edu/datasecurity/). They state that “The incident involved the potential access to Social Security numbers, but not credit card information, financial records, medical or health records, or grades.”
As many of us pay off our student loans, or go further in to debt with pre-requisite course after pre-requisite course, know that you can be your own activist. We encourage all students to make their voices heard to their schools and universities especially when it comes to protecting your data and privacy!