An alert – and a reminder to safeguard confidential information

CCOE USB incident prompts
information security response

Following the discovery that a purse stolen from a Cal State L.A. employee contained an unencrypted USB drive (or “memory stick”) with personal information of 2,534 individuals related to the Charter College of Education’s Teacher Credential Program, the University has established a call center and website to handle inquiries and assist those whose information was on the USB drive. 

The drive contained names, addresses, email addresses and Social Security numbers for five applicants, 2,481 students or program completers, and 48 faculty (teaching supervisors). Letters were sent yesterday to all of the individuals affected by the incident encouraging them to contact the three credit bureaus and place fraud alerts on their accounts to ensure they are not a victim of fraud or identity theft. There is no way of knowing if the thief or thieves accessed any of the personal information.

For more information

This website provides information about the incident and the University’s response to it:  www.calstatela.edu/usbincident.

The call center the University has established to assist affected individuals may be reached toll-free at (800) 883-4029, and from on campus, ext. 3-7300.

Prevention and protection                                                

The incident should remind all Cal State L.A. staff, faculty, administrators, and students that all portable media must be encrypted and to handle sensitive information securely and safeguard all confidential information.

The Division of Information Technology Services offers information about preventing fraud, identity theft, protecting computers (including laptops) from viruses and other menaces, online shopping safety, and other topics on its Are You Secure? website: www.calstatela.edu/its/itsecurity.  Any individual, department, or division storing confidential information (including SSN, driver’s license #, credit card #) in an unencrypted format must immediately contact Michael Perry, acting director of IT Security and Compliance, at ext. 3-2651 or [email protected].

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