Breach, Data Security, Vulnerability Management

Social Security numbers of Va. students printed on mailing labels

Thousands of University of Virginia students were affected by a printing error that caused their personal information, including Social Security numbers, to be printed on a mailing address label. 

How many victims? 18,700 students.

What type of personal information? Names, addresses and Social Security numbers.

What happened? Students receiving health insurance information for the upcoming academic year noticed their Social Security numbers printed on the address label.

What was the response? The university notified students whose information was exposed and offered free credit monitoring. Additionally, the school created a task force to review policies and procedures and to ensure student and staff information is protected.

Details: On July 3, students were mailed Aetna Student Health insurance information for the 2013/2014 academic year. The university had provided student information to Aetna, including Social Security numbers. Aetna uses a third-party mail vendor, and company officials said it violated policy by not reviewing the labels before they were mailed.

Quote: “Our focus is on notifying those affected, providing them information regarding credit monitoring and assistance, and ensuring that such an incident will not occur again,” said a University of Virginia spokesman

Source: The Daily Progress, dailyprogress.com, "UVa breach: Insurer's mail vendor failed to check labels that listed students' SSNs,” July 18, 2013.

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