Penn State Might Have Leaked 2,500 Social Security Numbers

If you attended Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences in 1998, 2002 or 2004, then you might get a surprise in your inbox sometime soon. Some 2,500 Social Security numbers, which PSU used to use to identify students for classes and exams, we’re put at risk late last week when a faculty member’s laptop was found to have been compromised. The Pennsylvania Breach of Personal Information Notification Act requires PSU to notify those 2,500 people who–whoopsie–might be at risk for having their identities stolen. The university switched to individualized, nine-digit codes over Social Security numbers as student identifiers back in 2005, so more recent students need not worry. Meanwhile, we’re left to wonder what the over/under is on someone from Anonymous claiming responsibility for the breech simply for “the lulz,” as they say. [Collegian]