The University of Central Florida (UCF) has revealed that it has experienced a major data breach.
Up to 63,000 people are thought to be affected by the incident, including current and former students and members of staff.
The university said that it became aware of the unauthorized intrusion last month. It immediately responded by notifying the authorities and launching its own investigation.
Analysis of the data breach has so far found that social security numbers were accessed.
However, personal and financial information, such as credit card data and medical records, have not been compromised.
"Safeguarding your personal information is of the utmost importance at UCF."
“Safeguarding your personal information is of the utmost importance at UCF,” John C. Hitt, president of the university, said in an email.
“To ensure our vigilance, I have called for a thorough review of our online systems, policies and training to determine what improvements we can make in light of this recent incident.”
He added by saying that this data breach is reflective of an ongoing battle against cyberattacks. Higher education institutions, like the UCF, are “popular targets”, he concluded.
The university has set up a dedicated online page to document key aspects of this incident. It also offers recommendations to anyone who believes they may have been affected.
“We have already begun taking several actions to help prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future,” UCF stated.
“These actions include enhancing user account and password security and expanding campus-wide information security education and training.”
