Student files exposed on web
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The confidential information of up to 34,000 students was published online for seven weeks following a mix up at the Princeton Review, it has been revealed.
CNet News has reported that the data security accident took place due to a flaw in the website's configuration which meant any user who logged on to the site was able to access sensitive records.
Information on the site included names, dates of birth, ethnicity, whether the individual had any learning difficulties or disabilities and their level of achievement at the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test which is given to students between grades three and 11.
Following a tip off from the Times newspaper, the institute has now cut off access to this area of its website.
According to the Montreal Gazette, data security should entail more than just passwords advising that websites should now encrypt sensitive information to add a further layer of protection when attempting to maintain computer network security.
Therefore, even if hackers are able to access the data they will not be able to decode and read it.
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