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No known identity theft from virus on OU computer


A virus infiltrated an Oklahoma University employee’s laptop that had names and Social Security numbers of OU students. No identity theft has been reported, but at least one OU student is upset that it took two weeks to learn of the virus attack, reports the Oklahoman. OU architecture student Kelsey Krueger said she learned of the threat on June 24 when the OU bursar’s office sent her and other students a message about the incident and what to do about it. On June 10, the OU information technology department identified the virus, commonly known as Zeus of Zbod, and the data it might have compromised. Krueger said she spoke to “eight or nine” people at the bursar’s, admissions, and information technology offices to try and find out how widespread and dangerous the breach actually was. “Fourteen days had gone by; who knows what could have happened?” she said. “Computer viruses can happen to anybody; it’s common, and that’s not the university’s fault. It’s just that they waited so long to tell us about something this serious, and then I wasted my time trying to get answers.” On July 12, OU’s Information technology Department sent a mass eMail reminding faculty and staff about the dangers of viruses and malware and offered tips on protecting themselves. “Information was provided on how to obtain free initial fraud alerts,” said Catherine Bishop, OU’s vice president of communication, “and the university offered to pay the cost of an additional year after the initial alert expires, if the person so desires…”

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