Emory University is investigating a security breach into its information technology infrastructure and has therefore required all students to change their passwords, according to an Aug. 8 University-wide email.
The same email said the University is not yet aware of any information being taken from its servers, which contains students and employees' social security numbers.
In response to the security breach, all students were required to change their password by noon yesterday and all faculty, staff and individuals with sponsored accounts are required to change their password by noon on Sept. 10.
The Office of Information Technology refused to comment beyond what was said in the emails because the breach is an ongoing investigation.
College senior Grant McClure described the breach as "concerning" but said it's something people have to live with in the digital age.
"Online security breaches are a risk that we have to accept given how much data is integrated into our lives," McClure said.
Emory receives millions of cyber attacks every day, on par with most other large research universities and corporations, according to the email.
In general, universities have seen a large increase in attacks in the past few years with many attempts thought to be from China, according to a July 16 New York Times article. A link between these hacks and the Emory data breach could not be confirmed.
Large research universities are often working on the cutting edge of new discoveries that could become incredibly valuable such as new prescription drugs, breakthroughs in computer chip technology, fuel cells and even weapons technology, the Times reported.
According to the article, the attacks have not only become more frequent but also much more sophisticated. Some attackers make their way into a university network without the school's knowledge and some schools never know what was taken.
– By Nicholas Sommariva
