Situational awareness: Cybersecurity Incident

From: Student Affairs

On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Virginia Tech discovered that a list of personal information of current and former university students and current and former Dining Services employees was made available online. The compromised files, which were on a computer workstation in the Student Affairs division, contained demographic data.

The university’s ensuing investigation suggests the information was obtained by an unauthorized party who was able to download files containing demographic information. The compromised workstation was immediately removed from the network and no other workstations or data systems appear to have been affected. There is no evidence that anyone has utilized any of this information. 

Additionally, the university has reported this event to the proper authorities including law enforcement, and the university’s Information Technology Security Office continues to investigate this incident and monitor any suspicious activity. 

The university has no reasonable belief that identity theft or fraud will occur. However, for notified individuals impacted, it is recommended as a continued security and precautionary measure that you vigilantly monitor your personal information for any anomalous or suspicious activities. Be cautious of unsolicited emails or messages asking for personal information or credentials, or unusual requests from a person or account you know. Be sure to verify the sender's legitimacy before sharing any sensitive data. 

We also encourage those affected to change their passwords to university accounts and systems. Virginia Tech has temporarily modified the password reset process to require data elements not included in the breach. 

For technical questions, contact 4Help IT Support at 540-231-4357 or 4help.vt.edu. Other questions may be directed to Student Affairs at 540-231-6272 or vpsa@vt.edu. Frequently asked questions about this incident are available.