Ohio University Faces Lawsuit Over Data Breach

Two graduates of Ohio University have filed a lawsuit following the institution’s disclosure of a series of computer breaches that may have compromised personal information on about 175,000 people. After announcing a breach at one of its units in April, the university later said similar break-ins had taken place at the alumni office, the health center, and an office that handles contracts. In the wake of the problems, the university has suspended two IT staff and pledged to spend $4 million to improve computer security. An independent consultant investigating the incidents said the university had for a decade not paid enough attention to its computer security. In the suit, Donald Jay Kulpa and Kenneth Neben seek class-action status for those affected and ask the court to require the university to pay for credit-monitoring service and for any losses suffered as a result of the compromised data.

Houston Chronicle, 27 June 2006