A 26-year-old man has reportedly been arrested in connection with a University of South Wales data breach incident that the police are investigating.
So far, there’s little information as to what has happened or how many of the roughly 30,000 students attending the university have been affected (if any). All we know is that a male has been arrested and that police investigation is ongoing.
We can tell you from experience that university data breach incidents can be severe. One of the dozens of data breach group actions we’re fighting for justice in stems from a university breach. The impact for the victims in these kinds of cases can be severe.
About the University of South Wales data breach
So far, little is known about the University of South Wales data breach incident, other than the fact that a man has been arrested and that investigations are ongoing.
We don’t yet know the scale of the breach or whether any information has been exposed, or how bad any exposure may be.
A spokesperson for the university has reportedly said:
“We have taken immediate action to secure the University’s systems to ensure that there are no further breaches.”
How bad could it be?
We don’t yet know the extent of the University of South Wales data breach incident, but we can tell you from experience that academic data breaches can be severe.
Universities often process and store a wealth of information about tens of thousands of people, and some of that data can be incredibly personal and sensitive. The University of Greenwich data breach action we’re pursuing exposed some students’ medical information, as well as incredibly sensitive family information. Universities often have this information as part of managing the individual needs of students, so a breach can be severe.
What do people need to do?
As of yet, we don’t have any information about whether anyone has had their personal and sensitive data exposed as a result of this data breach incident.
If people’s information has been exposed, the university should contact those affected to let them know what has happened. The matter may also need to be referred to the Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) as well.
For now, it’s a case of sitting tight until more information is revealed.