California

UC Berkeley Data Breach Leaves 80,000 Students, Staff, Vendors Vulnerable

Officials at the University of California, Berkeley are investigating a cyber attack that breached a system containing the personal information -- including social security numbers and bank information -- of tens of thousands of people.

The information of 50 percent of current students and 65 percent of employees has been made vulnerable by the attack, campus officials said.

There is currently no evidence that anyone accessed or used any of the information, but staff are continuing to investigate the December attack, which was made public Friday.

The hack occurred when an unauthorized person gained access to computers that are part of the Berkeley Financial System through a security flaw. A school official said that the flaw was “in the process” of being patched.

“The security and privacy of the personal information provided to the university is of great importance to us,” said Paul Rivers, UC Berkeley’s chief information security officer. “We regret that this occurred and have taken additional measures to better safeguard that information.”

The university uses Berkeley Financial System for purchasing and most non-salary payments, school official said in a statement.

Those students who receive payments from the university’s electronic fund transfers (such as for financial aid) and teachers and staff who made claims for reimbursements are most at risk, according to a statement.

Investigators who were looking into the breach collected names and contact information for people at-risk and started sending out notice letters Friday containing credit protection services.

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