Last!

hello!!


the issue today is about a case on 55,200 social security number was stolen for University of Texas database!


whoaaaa!what a big number and a big case!


so,today i won't put the slide, but lets read a newspaper article je lah..(lazy mode)


""AUSTIN – Hackers have stolen names, Social Security numbers and e-mail addresses of some 59,000 current and former students, faculty members and staff at The University of Texas at Austin, school officials said in published reports Thursday.

The theft was discovered Sunday evening when computer systems personnel discovered a computer malfunction, Dan Updegrove, the university's vice president for information technology, told the Austin American-Statesman and Houston Chronicle.

Hackers also got office addresses and office phone numbers for some current faculty and staff members, he said. No grade, health or benefit records were stolen, Updegrove said.

It was unclear if the information has already been used to illegally obtain credit cards or withdraw money from bank accounts, authorities said.

According to computer logs, the database was hacked by a computer in Austin on Feb. 26, Feb. 27 and Friday, and again by a computer in Houston on Saturday and Sunday.

Updegrove said the hackers used a computer program to query the UT database with three million potential Social Security numbers, resulting in about 59,000 successful matches. "It was just a brute force attack on the system," he said.

Updegrove acknowledged that the breach could have been prevented with basic precautions.

"We flat out messed up on this one," he said. "Shame on us for leaving the door open, and shame on them for exploiting it. Our number one goal is to get those data back before they get misused."

Updegrove said the university did not immediately announce the theft because it took time to understand what had been stolen. He said UT had not planned to inform the public of the thefts until the American-Statesman contacted the university.

Also, he said disclosing the theft immediately could have alerted the hackers and allowed them to flee.

The university has reported the theft to the FBI, the Austin Police Department, the Travis County district attorney's office and other authorities.

"This could have grave consequences, so fast action is important to prevent further harm," District Attorney Ronnie Earle said.

Authorities said they planned to conduct searches with warrant late Wednesday at homes in Austin and Houston where the computers used in the hacking were believed to be located. University officials did not return telephone calls early Thursday from The Associated Press on details.""

so??what say you?

=)