University of Houston Math Prof Posts 259 SSNs Online
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 23, 2008Media Contact: Aaron Titus
(202) 669-2969
HOUSTON, Texas. University of Houston Math professor, Marjorie Marks, accidentally posted 259 students' social security numbers and grades on a UH Math web server in October, 2005. The Liberty Coalition notified the university of the breach in late May, 2008, but search engine caches did not clear until July, 2008. All affected students appear to have taken Math 1310 in Fall 2005.
The University of Houston did not reveal whether they have notified (or are even capable of notifying) affected students, but failed to detect the confidential student information for more than 2 1/2 years. By placing this information online, the University of Houston has put these students at severe risk of identity theft and other forms of fraud.
Individuals affected by this exposure should immediately visit www.nationalidwatch.org and search for their names, to confirm what types of personal information were exposed. NationalIDWatch.org has a list of recommended steps victims should take.
About NationalIDWatch.org
National ID Watch is a search engine for personal information breaches. Sponsored by the Washington, DC non-profit Liberty Coalition, NationalIDWatch.org provides more than a million free personalized Identity Exposure Reports™ as a public service.
Each Identity Exposure Report (IXR) documents what types of personal information were exposed (such as Social Security Numbers, Birth Dates, Addresses, etc.), without revealing them. Each IXR also details the situation surrounding each exposure, and contact information of those responsible for the breach. Armed with this information, victims can further investigate, take action, or correct harm.