Southern Illinois University Hit by Data Breach

Close to one thousand former Southern Illinois University students are now at the risk of identity theft. University officials said an old computer in the math department was hit by a virus last month. The computer contained the names and Social Security numbers of 900 students who took a particular math class five years ago. SIU spokesman Rod Sievers says it’s not clear if anyone’s identity has been stolen.

“We don’t know what this virus did or how bad it was, in any event, campus policy says we need to notify these people,” said Sievers.

However, the majority of those students are not on campus, so the university is notifying them through the mail. Sievers says they’re being urged to keep a close eye on their accounts.