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The private information, including social security numbers, birth dates, and GPAs, of thousands of Florida International Students has been compromised after someone typed a smiley face emoticon into the school’s database. Students are feeling :(, :O, and >:|.
The smiley face apparently rendered the database insecure, and the personal information of some 19,500 current and former students was left vulnerable according to NBC Miami. Students affected had taken a College-Level Academic Skills Test or other standardized tests.
“We do not know if someone actually took this data, downloaded the data, or is actually utilizing the data,” Robert Grillo, FIU’s chief information officer, told NBC Miami. “It’s a precautionary measure for our students and employees, to make them aware.”
The school sent out a letter informing students of the breach, and advised them to contact credit bureaus to place fraud alerts.
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Any student who received the letter is asked to call 855-263-3452 if they need more information.
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