Hackers Seeking Pirated Music & Movies Breach University Servers

An advisory was released on December 6, 2007 on the University of Michigan-Flint (UM-Flint) after somebody attacked a number of computers, possibly putting private data in danger. It seems that cyber-terrorists seeking pirated music and films caused the computer security violation.

Forensic experts from the Ann Arbor and Flint campuses examined countless files to ascertain if any confidential information had been hijacked in the security violation. The university still couldn't say conclusively about 40 of these files, and is unclear whether private data had actually been divulged.

The university told the campus people that it was trying to find out the range of the violation, but for the time being, couldn't reveal the exact kind of data that might have been endangered. It's not easy now to actually make out what's there, or what all might have been stolen. The reality is that now-a-days, sadly, this type of action is very prevalent, alleged Jen Hogan, spokesperson, UM-Flint. ABC12 News published the statement in mid December 2007.

Students, faculty and staff were informed about the matter through a message sent by the university on December 6, 2007. However, the violation was controlled soon after it was detected, told Hogan in another statement reported by Mlive.com in the third week of December 2007.

On December 6, 2007, after the violation was discovered, campus people were asked to alter their passcodes to safeguard against data loss. Moreover Hogan mentioned that regular passcode alterations had already been recommended before the attack was detected. Hogan thought it was always an excellent proposal.

Computer experts from the Ann Arbor and Flint University campuses are collaborating with the Flint bureau of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to discover the persons behind the hacking. The number of PCs that had access to servers is still unknown and no additional data has been issued. The university is still examining servers, although those that obviously don't have any personal data.

The university declared that it would inform pupil, faculty and other staff of any further development during the course of the probe.

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