Personal data accessible to all colleagues
Leiden University suffers data breach
Photo: Wir Sind Klein/Pixabay
The personal details of everyone who had submitted an expense claim to Leiden University were suddenly visible to all university staff, reports the university magazine Mare. This included names, home addresses and sometimes even telephone numbers. Private data belonging to several members of the Executive Board, deans, and Professor of Law Afshin Ellian could be viewed.
The data breach occurred on Monday morning during the transition to a new computer system for financial and administrative matters. The IT department noticed the issue and resolved it the same day, within a few hours. The university is required by law to report the breach to the Data Protection Authority (AP).
A few weeks ago, the Data Protection Authority imposed a fine of 175,000 euros on the Arnhem and Nijmegen University of Applied Sciences for failing to adequately protect its employees' data. Four years ago, a single weak spot in the system exposed the data of hundreds of thousands of people.
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