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Thursday, Sep. 24, 2009

EKU posted about 5,000 Social Security numbers online for a year

The names and Social Security numbers of about 5,000 Eastern Kentucky University faculty, staff and student workers were inadvertently put on the Internet last September, where they have stayed for a year, according to EKU President Doug Whitlock.

There's no evidence that the information was accessed or replicated, Whitlock said in a campus-wide e-mail sent Tuesday. Only those who entered the exact filename, which was lengthy and complex, or conducted a precise Google search could have accessed the information, he said.

Whitlock sent letters to all 5,045 people on the list, all of whom were on the EKU payroll in 2007-08. The information was posted Sept. 29, 2008, and discovered Friday.

"I deeply regret that this situation has occurred and, like you, am concerned that so many names were on this file, including mine," Whitlock wrote.

Those with questions about the data breach can find more information online at www.ecert.eku.edu.

The university also has a hotline — (859) 622-7777 — and e-mail address — ecert@eku.edu — dedicated to the issue.