BISMARCK, N.D. — A no-cost
identity protection and credit-checking service will be provided for one
year to almost 300,000 students, faculty and staff in the wake of a
security breach on a North Dakota University System computer server,
officials said Thursday.
Interim Chancellor Larry Skogen told the Legislature's Government Finance Committee that the security protection service and a call center will begin today.
Skogen announced earlier this month that personal information — including Social Security numbers — of more than 290,000 current and former students and about 780 faculty and staff were on the server, which was hacked in early February and immediately locked down. The server did not include bank or credit card information.
Skogen said an internal investigation and a forensics investigation by an independent cybersecurity group found that nothing appears to have been compromised.
Officials have said an overseas entity apparently used the server as a launching pad to attack other computers and access outside accounts to send phishing emails.
North Dakota has 11 public colleges, including six four-year universities and five two-year schools. Skogen said email notifications would be sent beginning Friday to students, faculty and staff advising them of the security protection coverage and the call center, which will handle questions. The call center can be reached at 855-711-5990 starting at
8 a.m. CDT today.
The university system already has created a website, ndus.edu/data, to help people who have questions.
Lisa Feldner, vice chancellor for information technology and institutional research, said in an interview that the one-year cost of the identity protection services is pegged at $87,000. The call center, which will run for 90 days, will cost the university system about $132,000.
University system and law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the security breach, Skogen said.
Interim Chancellor Larry Skogen told the Legislature's Government Finance Committee that the security protection service and a call center will begin today.
Skogen announced earlier this month that personal information — including Social Security numbers — of more than 290,000 current and former students and about 780 faculty and staff were on the server, which was hacked in early February and immediately locked down. The server did not include bank or credit card information.
Skogen said an internal investigation and a forensics investigation by an independent cybersecurity group found that nothing appears to have been compromised.
Officials have said an overseas entity apparently used the server as a launching pad to attack other computers and access outside accounts to send phishing emails.
North Dakota has 11 public colleges, including six four-year universities and five two-year schools. Skogen said email notifications would be sent beginning Friday to students, faculty and staff advising them of the security protection coverage and the call center, which will handle questions. The call center can be reached at 855-711-5990 starting at
8 a.m. CDT today.
The university system already has created a website, ndus.edu/data, to help people who have questions.
Lisa Feldner, vice chancellor for information technology and institutional research, said in an interview that the one-year cost of the identity protection services is pegged at $87,000. The call center, which will run for 90 days, will cost the university system about $132,000.
University system and law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate the cause of the security breach, Skogen said.
No comments:
Post a Comment