Hackers have infiltrated University of California, Berkeley computer database. Such an intrusion risks about 160,000 students, alumni and other people with their health and other personal information.

The data that has been compromised include birth dates, Social Security numbers, health insurance information and medical records (some even dating back to 1999). But officials said that personal medical records, including patient diagnoses, treatments and therapies were not compromised.

The database which was compromised also includes personal information of spouses, parents and Mills College students, as they were eligible for Berkeley’s health services.

The numbers are shocking. In total 97,000 Social Security numbers were stolen, according to Shelton Waggener, UC Berkeley’s associate vice chancellor for information technology and its chief information officer.

Why is it dangerous?

Social Security numbers are very crucial. Identity thieves can use them to access a person’s current credit history, or bank and credit card accounts. Using these information hackers can also open new credit and bank accounts and get a driver’s license in the victim’s name.

The school contacted all the 160,000 people whose names were found in the database, whether their identity were compromised or not.

The incident happened on Oct. 6, 2008, and lasted until April 9. The traces of hackers’ computers led to many different overseas locations including China. The information has been handed over to the FBI and campus police. An outside Internet security firm had audited the school’s systems and its information security measures.

For readers who think their information may have been compromised can find more information from a site started by the University at http://datatheft.berkeley.edu

However, this is not the first case of security breach in UC Berkeley.

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