Data breach hits 63,000 U. of Central Florida students, staff

As many as 63,000 current and former students and staff at the University of Central Florida in Orlando had their names and Social Security numbers compromised when hackers attacked the school's computer system, the university said Thursday.

Two groups were affected. One consisted of current student-athletes as well as some students who played in 2014-2015, and some athletic department staff. Their names, Social Security numbers, student ID numbers and information about their sport and studies were potentially accessed.

By far the largest group was made up of current and former university employees, mostly students in work-study positions, graduate assistant, housing resident assistants, student government leaders and some adjunct faculty instructors. Their names, Social Security numbers and student ID numbers were accessed.

"I have called for a thorough review of our online systems, policies and training to determine what improvements we can make in light of this recent incident," university president John Hitt said in a statement.

The breach does not includes credit card information, financial records, medical records, or grades for those whose information was accessed, Hitt said.

The University discovered the breach on January but only reported it Thursday in order to complete a forensic investigation, the president said.

All those affected will be mailed a letter explaining how to sign up for a year of free credit monitoring and identity-protection service. In addition, the school has launched a web site and a call center for those who information was accessed, Hitt said.

The university said that it has already begun a program to enhance user security on its computer networks, including expanding security information and training.