According to the ethical hacking training specialists from the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS), students, professors and administrative staff of Georgia Tech, a university recognized internationally for its computer science program, have been victims of a data breach incident that would have compromised around 1.3 million of company records.
Georgia Tech recently revealed the incident,
highlighting that it is the second data breach that the institution has
suffered in the last year. In the first instance it has been confirmed that
among the personal details involved are:
- Full
Names - Social
Security Numbers - Dates
of birth - Addresses
A spokesman for Georgia Tech stated that the institution’s
cybersecurity team detected anomalous activity at the end of March, confirming
the attack a couple of days later.
Although the spokesman claims that the incident
was immediately contained, it is very likely that records stored on Georgia
Tech’s systems have been exposed. “We are conducting a thorough
investigation to determine the extent of the incident,” concluded the
spokesman.
Ethical hacking training experts still cannot
believe that the incident has been presented in one of the most recognized
teaching institutions in the computer area.”This incident is unforgivable
for such a relevant institution in computer science,” the experts
consider.
All questions about this incident, such as the
date on which data theft was presented, the perpetrators of the robbery, who
have had access to the leaked information, among other questions, are not yet
resolved. Georgia Tech’s spokesman said he still can’t share more details, as
the U.S. Department of Education and Georgia
University System are participating in the investigation.
Although many may find it strange or ironic
that a university specializing in computer science is a frequent victim of data
breaches, the ethical hacking training experts emphasize those university
institutions is one of the favorite targets of malicious hackers seeking to
compromise large data groups.
“It’s no wonder that universities and
other education centers are hackers’ targets, in fact they are one of the
favorite victims of these threat actors,” the ethical hacking course
experts mentioned.