University of Georgia computer systems hacked

The FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating a break-in to the University of Georgia computer systems.

University officials said in a statement that hackers may have accessed personal information, including Social Security and credit card numbers of 31,000 of its students and applicants.

The school said it discovered the compromised server on January 20 and immediately took it off-line.

Officials said their initial investigation showed that the hackers used the school’s systems to scan and probe systems outside the university for potential attacks.

They said the intruders could have accessed personal information about students and applicants dating to August 2002. That information includes names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, personal contact information, parental information, and credit card numbers and expiration dates.

Officials are notifying all the students whose personal data may have been compromised, but they said they have no evidence that the hackers have used any of the information they may have gleaned from the break-in.