MINNESOTA COMPUTER BELONGING TO UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ART DEPARTMENT STOLEN St. Paul Pioneer Press 10/20/2006 Second laptop with student data was stolen

Second laptop with student data was stolen
No Social Security numbers compromised
BY PAUL TOSTO
Pioneer Press

University of Minnesota officials confirmed Thursday a second theft of a laptop computer this summer that contained private student data.

The incident involved a U art department laptop holding about 200 student names, university IDs and grades but no Social Security numbers. It was stolen from a faculty member in June during a trip to Spain.

There's no indication the data have been misused, though the loss was considered a security breach under Minnesota law. Last month, the U acknowledged two Institute of Technology laptops werestolen in August with data on more than 13,000 students who enrolled in the school as freshmen between fall 1991 and 2006. Some of those records contained Social Security numbers.

The thefts come amid heightened concerns about data privacy in Minnesota and around the country. Laptops are standard tools for instructors to keep grades and other student information.

News of the second breach was more than frustrating to Brian Stuckey. He graduated from the university more than two years ago and was dismayed to get a letter in late August telling him his personal student information was still on someone's computer as part of the IT theft.

Several weeks later, another letter arrived telling him his student data was on a stolen art department laptop. In that case, he said, it frustrated him that it took the university three months to notify him. While the art department and IT incidents weren't related, Stuckey wondered aloud about security.

"Once? We're human beings. We screw up," he said. "Twice? Maybe the university needs to re-evaluate how they treat student data."

U officials say their computers contain encryption software that would make any sensitive data unusable. Getting professors and others to use it can be another issue.

"Our antenna is definitely up," said Steve Cawley, the university's chief information officer. "We've been working very hard to raise awareness" among faculty and staff about security breaches and data protection, he said.

Laptop theft, he added, is a problem for everyone since they're portable, their hard drives can be erased and the machine can easily be pawned. As with the art departmenttheft, there's no evidence data in the IT laptops have been exploited.

The university is in the process of training all faculty and staff on information security, Cawley said.

Paul Tosto covers higher education and can be reached at ptosto@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-2119.