UConn finds hacking program on server

[Tami]

UConn finds hacking program on server
Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. — The University of Connecticut is notifying 72,000 students, staff and faculty as a precaution after officials found a computer-hacking program in a server at the school.

The server contains names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers and addresses for anyone with an account that allows access to the school's computer network. The personal information was not in a readable format, officials said.

University officials found the computer-hacking program this week and said it had been placed in a server at the school in 2003. They do not believe any information was compromised although there was an opportunity for someone to access it.

An e-mail was sent to all users at the University of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut Health Center on Friday, and the university was contacting people without e-mail accounts by mail, spokeswoman Karen Grava said.

The security breach was discovered last week after a university vendor reported that someone tried to access its server with an illegal password.

Technology staff discovered that a program known as a rootkit had been installed on the server. The server was immediately taken off-line, chief information officer Michael Kerntke said.

[url=\"http://www.globetechnology.com\"]source: Globe Technology[/url]