If you've ever been a student or employee of the Georgia Institute of Technology, be advised that any personally identifiable information the university had on you may have been compromised.
Recently, the university reported an instance of unauthorized access into databases connected to its web app.
They first discovered evidence of the unauthorized access in mid-December of 2018 and have been investigating since. To date, however, it remains unclear exactly how long a time the unidentified hackers had access to their databases or what specific information may have been taken.
The formal statement issued by the university says, in part:
"The information illegally accessed by an unknown outside entity was located on a central database. Georgia Tech's cyber security team is conducting a thorough forensic investigation to determine precisely what information was extracted from the system, which may include names, addresses, social security numbers and birth dates."
The fact that the university's investigation is now several months old indicates that the hackers were quite skilled. Given the information that the University fears was compromised, it's more than enough to create a false identity.
If you have ever been employed at Georgia Tech, or if you've ever taken classes there, be mindful that enough of your personal information may have been compromised to steal your identity. If you haven't yet used a service that helps protect you against such things, it may be time to consider doing so. In any case, vigilance is the order of the day.
We don't yet know how many records may have been compromised, but it's better to be safe than sorry. If you've been fortunate enough to have avoided having your identity compromised, count yourself lucky indeed. It's something that can take years to fully recover from. Stay on your guard.
