On May 25, the UWM discovered that unauthorized individuals had installed malware on a server that housed confidential information for several university departments, according to a university statement. The university shutdown the server, notified local and federal law enforcement, and hired a computer security consultant to investigate the breach.
A month after the incident, the university realized that a database containing the names and social security numbers of 75,000 students and staff was among the information compromised by the malware. The university notified the affected individuals; however, it is not providing free credit monitoring services.
“We have no evidence that anyone’s personal information was retrieved or that any information was misused”, the university said in explaining why it is not providing free credit monitoring services.
“We want to apologize for any concern or inconvenience this may cause you, and assure you that the university takes computer and data security seriously”, said UWM interim chief information officer John McCarragher in an Aug. 10 letter to affected individuals. “We continue to provide strong protection for our systems and campus computers. As a result of this incident, however, we are taking additional security measures”, he added.