Sometime between Dec. 29 and 31, an overseas hacker broke into a University server that contained Social Security numbers, names and addresses for former, current and prospective residents of graduate family housing.
More than 4,250 Social Security numbers were possibly exposed, according to the University of Georgia’s student newspaper, The Red and Black.
“Hearing what happened to students at the University of Georgia and how their identities could be stolen makes me really wonder how safe our information is in Auburn’s systems,” said Laura Richmond, a junior in human development and family studies. “I’ve always thought of Auburn as a safe environment, but I would hate to think that any of my information pertaining to Auburn could be stolen.”
Since all Auburn students, faculty and staff were asked to get new Tiger Cards made at the beginning of last semester, students should be well aware that Auburn has changed from using Social Security numbers as University identifiers.
“The decision was made a few years ago to get rid of using Social Security numbers as identifiers in its previous systems such as OASIS and Human Resources. It is more secure to use the 9-digit ‘Banner IDs,’ which begin with ‘902,’” said Fred Bobo, director of the Banner project.
In many systems, the user name, the first part of Auburn e-mail addresses, is also available as an identifier.
“The primary reason for this is that the Social Security number can be linked to much other information outside the University and is a primary goal for identity thieves,” said Nick Backscheider, associate executive director of the Office of Information Technology. “Does this mean that we no longer keep the Social Security in Auburn University records? Of course not, but since it is not an identifier, you cannot retrieve records just by knowing the number.”
In addition, access to the Social Security number is limited to those persons who need it because their work requires them to communicate with outside agencies that use the Social as an identifier. Examples of such agencies include the IRS, the NCAA and the ACT/SAT testing agencies.
“Those who have access to Social Security numbers are those having to deal with external offices that require them, like how payroll has to work with the IRS,” Bobo said.
Most other people who have access to INB, the Banner administrative system, find that the Social Security number is blanked out on forms that they use.
Starting this year, students applying for on-campus housing are issued a Banner ID number, and the applications no longer ask for Social Security numbers.
“Auburn University recognizes the potential dangers to its students and employees and the liability the University could face as a result of freely available Social Security numbers and is taking steps to tighten security even more,” Backscheider said.
The Social Security number is the most commonly used identifying number in the U.S. according to www.ssa.gov/.
When hackers gain access to Social Security numbers, they can manipulate bank accounts and destroy personal financial credit, which is crucial for students trying to build good credit histories. For those who have gotten their identities stolen, life is hard to re-start.
