October 8th, 2007
The University of Iowa Department of Philosophy has recently learned that a laptop computer owned by a former teaching assistant now living in Arizona, was stolen over the September 15 weekend in a break-in at his home. The hard drive on this computer contained the names, ID numbers, and class records such as attendance, test scores, and grades of 184 students who took his philosophy courses at the UI between 2002 and 2006. This information did not include birth date or any financial information such as credit card numbers. I am writing to inform you that your record was contained in the lost computer, and the ID number used to identify your record was your Social Security number (SSN).
Appropriate law enforcement agencies have been notified. Authorities believe it is unlikely that the thieves targeted the laptop computer because of the data it contained. Jane Drews, UI Information Technology Security Officer, analyzed backup copies of the files and found them an unlikely source for committing identity theft. The instructor buried the files in his directory structure and obfuscated the Social Security numbers. While they were not encrypted, popular SSN scanning tools were unable to detect SSNs in any of the five files.
The University never takes these incidents lightly. We believe we have a responsibility to inform anyone whose personal information has been exposed by a computer theft, if there is even a slight risk that the information could be mishandled. We advise you to take precautions to protect your credit as soon as possible. The University recommends that you place a precautionary “fraud alert” on your file with the three major credit bureaus. Instructions for placing the no-charge fraud alert and other security information can be found at: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft
We at the Department of Philosophy apologize for any inconvenience or concern this situation may cause, but we believe you should be fully informed of any potential risk resulting from this theft. We do not anticipate problems for you; however, we stand ready to answer any questions or provide assistance if needed. Please refer to a list of questions and answers relating to this incident at http://www.uiowa.edu/~phil/SSN.shtml
We want to reassure you that we have no knowledge of any data being misused. If you do suspect any problems associated with this theft, please contact us immediately to support others, and to aid in the ongoing investigation.
Please know that the University is committed to doing everything it can to ensure the security of any personal information received from you and about you. We will work with law enforcement and continue to evaluate our systems and ways to protect your personal information.
Please feel free to call me at 319-335-0029 or email me at david-stern@uiowa.edu.
Sincerely,
David Stern
Chair, Department of Philosophy
