AM850.com Search AM850.com: ____________________ GO! * Home * News * Headlines * Front Page On The Air * Eye On Entertainment * WRUF Weekend Sports * Headlines * Sportscene * The Cheap Seats Weather Community Calendar Commentary Programs * Weekdays * Weekends Audio Links Contact Us FAQ Dental School Security Breach Wednesday, November 12, 2008 [university_of_florida.jpg] University of Florida officials have notified about 330,000 current and former dental patients that an unauthorized intruder recently accessed a College of Dentistry computer server storing their personal information. The breach was discovered October third while college information technology staff members were upgrading the server and found software had been installed on it remotely. It was just made public today. Information stored on the server included names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers and, in some cases, dental procedure information for patients dating back to 1990. While there is no evidence the intruder has used any confidential information stored on the server for fraudulent purposes, letters were sent to patients telling them what happened. The mailings included a brochure listing preventive steps they can take to obtain copies of their credit reports and to avoid identity theft or other illegal uses of their personal data. A hotline, 1-866-783-5883, has been established to field patient inquiries. âItâs unfortunate that like many large institutions we were targeted. We work hard to continually fine-tune our security protections, and maintaining our patientsâ trust and confidence is of utmost importance,â said Teresa Dolan, dean of the UF College of Dentistry. âWe cannot stress enough how seriously we take this matter. As soon as we learned of this situation, we launched an investigation and implemented additional safeguards designed to protect personal information. We urge patients to take the preventive steps weâve outlined, and want to express our dismay at the inconvenience this occurrence may cause anyone.â An additional 8,248 patients had data stored on the server, but current mailing addresses could not be identified for them. The university is notifying the national media in an attempt to reach them. Most of the patients are from Florida. FBI and University Police Department officers are investigating the data security breach, with the full cooperation and support of the university and the College of Dentistry. When the breach was discovered, IT staff immediately disconnected the server from the Internet to cut off the intruderâs access. The system has since been rebuilt with even more stringent security controls. In recent years, UF has added and strengthened firewalls and intrusion detection systems, encrypted data flows containing sensitive information, and increased vigilance in identifying threats and securing servers. âDespite these efforts, this illegal user was able to gain access to the server,â Dolan said. UF officials are in the process of screening up to 60,000 additional computers from around campus to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the information stored on them. âOur university, as with any university or college, is constantly under attack by people trying to find and exploit potential weaknesses in our IT security defense mechanisms,â said Charles E. Frazier, UFâs interim chief information officer. âIt is a sophisticated and never ending âcat and mouseâ battle in which sometimes the mouse wins. Our IT teams are particularly vigilant in their work, understanding the importance of protecting the information on UFâs data systems and the importance of those records to our educational mission.â link permalink to this story print print this story email email this story to: ____________________ your email address: ____________________ Send © 2005 WRUF Radio and The State of Florida - Privacy Statement - Site design by That Guy - Powered by Movable Type