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University of Iowa warns 250 about stolen IDs

Jan. 18, 2017 5:09 pm, Updated: Jan. 18, 2017 5:42 pm
IOWA CITY - The University of Iowa has notified about 250 faculty, staff and students that their university IDs and passwords have been obtained by 'unauthorized individuals using physical devices that had been secretly attached to university computers in classrooms and computer labs.”
Jane Drews, the university's chief information security officer, said her office decided to notify the broader UI community and advise them to change their HawkID passwords 'given the scope of credentials that were stolen.”
'The individuals who installed and operated these devices used a few of the captured accounts to access classroom computers, email and ICON,” she wrote in a campuswide notification. Iowa Courses Online - or ICON - is the central course management system at the university.
In response, the university's information technology staff is manually examining computers for suspicious devices and developing plans to expand the use of 'two-factor authentication to additional key applications.”
Drews stressed that unless a person already has been contacted, 'We currently don't have evidence that your HawkID and password were involved in this incident. However, we still strongly encourage you to change your password as a precautionary step,” she wrote.
UI employees are reminded to make sure their two-factor authentication - a two-Step login process - is enabled and properly configured.
To change your HawkID password, visit hawkid.uiowa.edu
To enroll a two-step login with duo security, visit its.uiowa.edu/two-step
Anyone wanting more information can contact the Information Technology Services Help Desk at (319) 384-4357 or its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu.
Anyone who suspects their HawkID account was used inappropriately can contact the Information Security & Policy Office at (319) 335-6332 or it-security@uiowa.edu.
l Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
University of Iowa students walk past the College of Business on the T. Anne Cleary Walkway on campus in Iowa City on Thursday, December 18, 2014. (Adam Wesley/The Gazette)