Northwest Florida State College reports data breach affecting 280,000
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Northwest Florida State College in Niceville said Wednesday data on about 200,000 students who were eligible for state scholarships and on 76,500 current and past students has been breached.
The data on the scholarship students includes information on students who were eligible for the states' Bright Futures scholarships during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years. It includes student names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, ethnicity and gender.
Similar data was compromised with respect to the Northwest Florida students.
The college first announced on Monday that a breach in the security of the college's computer system compromised the personal information of about 3,200 current and retired college employees. It said about 50 employees had reported issues with identity theft, including the college president, faculty and staff. The employee data was breached between May 21 and Sept. 24, 2012. The college said on Wednesday further investigation revealed the breach of the student data.
The college said it is coordinating its efforts with the state's Department of Education to formally notify all students affected by the breach. It also has contracted with an external consultant to ensure the college's data remains safe and secure. The breach is being investigated by the Okaloosa County Sheriff's office cyber crimes unit with the assistance of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Florida College System Chancellor Randy Hanna said in a statement: “We want to be sure that we fully understand the situation and provide accurate information to those impacted. While some of the contact information is dated, we will be trying to reach every student whose records may have been captured.”
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