OKLAHOMA COMPUTER CONTAINING STUDENT DATA STOLEN FROM UNIVERSITY
Stolen computer creates security breach at OSU

APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer


The laptop from the career services office contains Social Security numbers and other personal information about students.

A laptop computer containing Social Security numbers, genders, ethnicities, class levels and e-mail addresses of most Oklahoma State University Stillwater and Tulsa students and recent alumni was stolen earlier this month, and college officials are warning those affected to be on alert for identity theft.

OSU's career services office sent an e-mail to affected students and alumni Thursday night, telling them of the theft of the career services office's computer.

"We have no evidence that any personal information has been used for illegal or malicious activities," said the e-mail from Amjad Ayoubi, director of career services.

The laptop was stolen in between career services seminars on campus, said Gary Shutt, OSU's director of communication services.

The laptop contained the students' information on its hard drive, and it had access to the OSU network, which contained more student information, he said.

OSU's information technology division blocked access from the laptop to the network, according to the e-mail. Shutt did not know how well-protected the information on the hard drive was.

OSU officials initially thought the laptop had been misplaced, Shutt said.

The OSU Police Department is investigating the incident.

In the meantime, OSU is looking at protecting more information with passwords, Shutt said. OSU had already been planning to switch Social Security numbers to new identifying numbers in the OSU computer system; the university has not set a date for the change.

OSU has not issued ID cards with Social Security numbers for several years. "Certainly, I think the university wants to make the information of students as secure as possible," Shutt said.

The University of Oklahoma has also moved away from using Social Security numbers as personally identifying num bers, said Catherine Bishop, OU vice president for public affairs. Last month, students began using non-Social Security numbers as their ID numbers.

OSU's Ayoubi warned students to watch out for unauthorized purchases made with credit cards and other charges to their accounts. He recommended visiting www.consumer.gov/idtheft online or calling 877-FTC-HELP, the Federal Trade Commission's hot line to learn about consumer issues or to file complaints.

Reports of identity theft have multiplied in recent years. A September 2003 report for the FTC completed by Synovate found that nearly one in 20 Americans discovered they were victims of identity theft within the previous year.

Last month, DSW, a shoe chain, reported the theft of transaction informa tion from 1.4 million credit cards and 96,000 checks from 108 stores between mid-November and mid-February.

Identity theft happens so often because it's so easy, said Sujeet Shenoi, a University of Tulsa professor of computer science.

A large amount of information exists electronically, and computer systems are hard to secure, he said. Individuals, criminal organizations and terrorist groups all steal identities to make money, to buy such things as cell phones and to commit crimes.

"It's a societal problem that's going to continue to become larger as time goes by," Shenoi said.
April Marciszewski 581-8475
april.marciszewski@tulsaworld.com