Texas A&M requires network-wide password change after attempted hacking

Texas A&M University officials have asked nearly 100,000 network users to change passwords after hackers attempted to access university accounts.

The attacker tried to gain unauthorized access to files containing encrypted passwords to numerous university accounts, according to a statement released by Texas A&M on Wednesday.

The attempt did not affect financial, payroll or student administrative systems, according to the university, which is investigating the incident and is not aware of any fraudulent use of personal or university information.

"Despite the fact that the security violation was quickly identified and stopped, we believe it is important to take all necessary steps to ensure that our students, faculty and staff are fully protected from unauthorized use of their private information," university Interim President Eddie J. Davis said in a news release. "As a precautionary measure, all students, faculty and staff will be required to reset all current NetID passwords immediately."

A university spokesman was not immediately available for comment today.

Tom Putnam, executive director of computing and information services, told the Bryan-College Station Eagle today that "there is good information we caught [hackers] in the act."

Texas A&M is the latest in a line of large, public universities to be targeted by hackers.

In December, the University of California, Los Angeles alerted 800,000 people that their personal information may have been compromised after hackers exploited an undetected security hole in a database for more than a year.

Last May, a server breach affected more than 300,000 people affiliated with Ohio University.

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