best background check

–Added Nov 9, 2010

As part of a PR push and drive to decrease identity theft, MyFICO.com has allowed us to offer free credit score checking to not only former students, but anyone else who feels the need to ensure their identity is intact. So, if you are a former student of the University of Hawaii, or anyone else, check your credit score and make sure you are not a victim of identity theft. Start at EquiFax.com.

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Seems that whenever a breach of personal information occurs whether it’s by a hospital, school, or other institution, the number of people involved is mind-boggling. Recently, it was discovered that that the University of Hawaii had inadvertently posted the social security numbers, grades, and other personal information of 40,000 former students online. Get this…they have been accessible by a simple Google search for the past year. So, if you perchance attended the University of Hawaii, Manoa between 1990 and 1998, then your personal information was available for the world to see.

Apparently the files were accidently uploaded to an unprotected server by a faculty member conducting a study of the success rate of Manoa. The faculty member had retired in June. My next question is; WHY was it so simple to move around the very personal and sensitive information from 40,000 individuals. WHY does the University not develop a system where sensitive information is replaced with a more generic system of identification? Point is, the kind of information that identity theft crooks are looking for, is treated far too carelessly by the majority of institutions and organizations. That’ s why I personally always think two, three, or four times about entering anything, anywhere.

Of course, when the University found out, they immediately when on a “cover our butts” spree and stated the faculty member did not seem to be acting maliciously. Their spokesman, Ryan Mielke also stated that there didn’t appear to be misuse of the information. Yup, they know exactly who was able to see the data on Google, and exactly who decided to steal it and wreck someone else’s life. To their credit, the University apologize and immediately reported the incident to the FBI and Honolulu police. Plus, they are attempting to notify everyone involved: “We are troubled (and) determined to notify everyone according to law and committed to do everything possible in the future to prevent this from happening,” UH system spokeswoman Tina Shelton said.

However, the most disturbing part of this incident is that this breach is the third major misstep within the University of Hawaii system within the past YEAR. University officials promised to step up their IT security efforts after each breach, but the blunders just keep piling up. The next problem is that the U of H wasn’t even aware of the problem until notified by Aaron Titus of Liberty Coalition on October 18. Google  also cleared their caches late Thursday, the 28th of October some 11 months after the data was uploaded. “During that time, theoretically, anybody with an Internet connection could have had access to it. How likely that is … is anybody’s guess,” said Titus, who discovered the files under a Google search.

Titus also stated: “Of course they don’t have any evidence of misuse, because the bad guys wouldn’t tell them if they had.” M.R.C. Greenwood, the president of the U of H, has met with all the chancellors of the University system that includes 10 campuses. They have set up a call center and website for those who may have been affected. The University is in the process of contacting the affected individuals by postal mail and email. Anyone with questions may call (808) 956-6000 on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. A webpage with answers to frequently asked questions is also available at:www.uhwo.hawaiii.edu/idalert. Updates will be posted as they become available.

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