Fergie's Tech Blog

Duke University Law School Website Infiltrated by Hackers

Dan Kaplan writes on SC Magazine US:

Hackers, possibly trying to embed links to improve search engine result rankings, may have viewed the sensitive information of 1,400 prospective applicants to Duke University on the institution's law school website, school officials said today.

Webmasters for the Durham, N.C.-based law school were notified of the intrusion last week when they detected unauthorized links on the website, spokeswoman Melinda Vaughn told SCMagazineUS.com today. Officials removed the unauthorized code and shut down the site last Thursday. It remains offline today.

An investigation revealed that the hackers burrowed their way in through a vulnerability in third-party blog software used on the site, she said, declining to name the provider.

This access permitted the intruders to view two databases, one containing the Social Security numbers of 1,400 individuals who had requested information about Duke Law School, she said.

The other database contained the contact information and passwords for 1,800 current applicants, Vaughn said. School officials worry that the students may use these same passwords in other, more sensitive places, such as banking websites.

posted by Fergie @ 12/05/2007 05:54:00 PM