Data breach hits UC Berkeley

The University of California’s flagship school was hit with a data breach that might have exposed students’ Social Security numbers, the college said Thursday.

A U.C. Berkeley computer that stores families’ financial information was accessed by unauthorized individuals in December and February, an alert to students stated.

The data held in the computer included Social Security and bank account numbers. The breach affected about 260 undergraduates and former students, as well as 290 parents and other individuals, the school said.

Paul Rivers, U.C. Berkeley’s interim chief security officer, said the school is offering a year of free credit monitoring to victims of the breach.

While there is no evidence that the data has been used, officials are taking every precaution to protect affected individuals, the school said.

The incidents point to the risk of data breaches at schools around the country.

Colleges typically store a range of valuable personal information about students and their families, and their systems often do not have the most up-to-date security.

An increase in the number of college data breaches is likely to call attention to the issue.

Auburn University revealed last month that unauthorized users gained access to the Social Security numbers of more than 364,000 people, including prospective students.

The University of California, Riverside said nearly 8,000 current and former graduate students and applicants had their personal information exposed in March.

U.C. Berkeley, a major source of talent for Silicon Valley, discovered the data breaches in March and hired a digital forensics team to investigate prior to alerting students.

The precise nature of the breaches and the parties responsible were not revealed.