Hacker broke into UC Berkeley system with info of 80K UC Berkeley students, workers, alumni

By Nanette Asimov

A hacker broke into a UC Berkeley system holding financial data of 80,000 students, alumni, employees and former employees, including Social Security and bank account numbers, officials said Friday.

Officials sent letters to the potential victims on Thursday informing them of the breach, which occurred in December. Those notified include students and staff who received non-salary payments through electronic fund transfers, such as financial aid awards and work-related reimbursements, campus officials said. Vendors whose financial information was in the system for payment purposes are also at risk.

Although there is no evidence that information has been stolen, campus officials said in a statement they want potential victims “to be alert to signs of any possible misuse of their information.” The campus is offering a free credit protection service.

The hacked Berkeley Financial System is used to manage purchasing and non-salary payments on campus. The campus became aware of the breach in early January and shut the system down for five days.

“We regret that this occurred and have taken additional measures to better safeguard that information,” said Paul Rivers, Berkeley’s chief information security officer.

For the full article, click on the link below.
[Source]: SF Gate