Smile – your personal data has just been exposed! No sooner did tens of thousands of college graduates throw their caps in the air than the company behind their graduation photos was discovered to have exposed those pictures, along with their personal details.
Cybernews – the company that discovered the leak – tells ConsumerAffairs that its research team found that Digital Pix & Composites, a U.S.-based graduation photo maker, exposed the personal details of thousands of students from 222 American universities. According to the team, those files contained 469 text files containing data on 43,000 students, including their full names, addresses, and institutions.
ConsumerAffairs reached out to Digital Pix for a comment but did not immediately get a response.
The list is a Who’s Who of academia, too. Researchers noted that students from Vanderbilt, Stanford, University of California, University of Michigan, University of Kentucky, University of Texas, University of Maryland, University of Georgia were exposed in the leak.
Leak impact: What are the consequences?
The leak is considered serious, but it could’ve been much more severe. Still, researchers believe that exposing students' full names, home addresses, and educational affiliations poses a significant risk to their privacy. For example, attackers could use the data for spear phishing attacks.
“The data leak could aid cybercriminals in their efforts to obtain more information about the affected individuals by connecting the stolen information with additional details that are readily available on the internet,” researchers explained.
“Attackers could also use the leaked information to attempt to gain unauthorized access to students’ existing accounts. When a person's home address is leaked, their personal safety and security are jeopardized. For example, criminals might use the exposed data to target specific homes for theft, burglary, or invasion.”
The universities where the data was exposed
Cybernews shared what colleges and universities where the photo-associated personal data was exposed. Here’s the full list:
William Paterson University
Elgin Community College
Northwestern State University/Natchitoches
Colorado State University
University of South Dakota
University of Missouri/Columbia
University of Arkansas/Fort Smith
Missouri University Science & Technology
Northeastern Oklahoma A & M
Vanderbilt University
Missouri State University
Louisiana State University/Eunice
University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill
Clarion University
Southwest Tennessee Community College
Western Michigan University
Purdue University/Lafayette
University of Tennessee
Texas Woman’s University/Denton
Stanford University
University of Alabama/Huntsville
Valdosta State University
University of Wisconsin/La Crosse
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Ohio University
Illinois State University
University of North Texas
University of North Georgia
Bevill State Community College/Jasper
Arkansas Tech University
Valencia College
Iowa State University
University of Toledo
University of Minnesota/Minneapolis
East Tennessee State University
Elmhurst University
Radford University
University of Georgia
Kent State University
University of Nevada/Las Vegas
Georgia College and State University
Liberty University
Wayne State University
Illinois Wesleyan University
East Carolina University
Northern Illinois University
University of Kansas
University of Florida
Jefferson State Community College/Jefferson
Georgia Southwestern State University
Louisiana State University/Baton Rouge
Southwestern Adventist University
Augusta University
Roane State Community College
Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association
Stockton University
Arkansas State University
Kansas City Kansas Community College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
University of Pittsburgh
University of South Carolina/Columbia
Oneonta (Suny)
Stetson University
University of Memphis
The University of Rhode Island
Eastern Kentucky University
Northeastern State University
University of Southern Indiana
San Diego State University
University of Central Florida
Mcneese State University
Delaware Valley College
University of California/Santa Barbara
University of North Florida
Georgia State University
University of New Orleans
Austin Peay State University
Auburn University
Anderson University
Auburn University/Montgomery
Southeastern University
Michigan State University
University of Northern Colorado
University of South Carolina/Aiken
Mercer University
Samford University
University of North Alabama
University of Arkansas/Fayetteville
Jefferson State Community College/Shelby
Nebraska Wesleyan University
University of Tulsa
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Florida State University
Radford University Carilon
Northwest Missouri State University
Prairie State College
Front Range Community College
Oakton College
Winston-Salem State University
Depauw University
Eastern Illinois University
Dillard University
Kennesaw State University
Appalachian State University
Orange County Community College (Suny)/Newburgh
Georgia Southern University
Southern Illinois University/Edwardsville
University of Wisconsin/Whitewater
Rhodes College
Roanoke College
University of West Georgia
Middle Georgia State University/Dublin
University of Iowa
Shenandoah University
University of Central Oklahoma
Jacksonville State University
Valparaiso University
Tennessee Technological University
William Jewell College
University of Colorado
West Virginia University
University of North Carolina/Charlotte
Middle Tennessee State University
Western Carolina University
Elon University
Tulane University/Newcomb College
Troy University
University of North Carolina/Wilmington
University of Texas/Dallas
Loyola Marymount University
University of Central Florida/Cocoa
University of Evansville
University of Louisiana/Monroe
University of Wyoming
University of Montevallo
Methodist University
University of Illinois
Washburn University/Topeka
Oregon State University
University of Wisconsin/Stout
University of South Alabama
Montclair State University
Carnegie Mellon University
William Rainey Harper College
University of Louisiana/Lafayette
Mercer University/Atlanta
University of Utah
College of Central Florida
Polk State College/Lakeland
University of Pennsylvania
Union University
Wichita State University
St. John’s College
University of Kentucky
Southeast Missouri State University
Ohio State University/Columbus
Baldwin-Wallace University
Shorter University
University of North Carolina/Greensboro
Middle Georgia State University/Warner Robins
Franklin College
Georgia Institute of Technology
Bellarmine University
Bowling Green State University
Clemson University
George Mason University
Bucknell University
Drake University
Washington University
Bloomsburg University of Pa
University of The Pacific
Pennsylvania State University
Coastal Carolina University
University of Tennessee/Chattanooga
Capital University
Colorado School of Mines
Ohio Northern University
Indiana University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Texas State University/San Marcos
Angelo State University
Murray State University
Huntingdon College
University of Michigan/Ann Arbor
University of Nebraska/Lincoln
Fairleigh Dickinson University/Madison
University of West Alabama
Loyola University
University of Southern Mississippi
York College of Pennsylvania
Penn State Altoona
University of Wisconsin/Madison
University of Alabama/Birmingham
Charleston Southern University
Winthrop University
Ball State University
California State University/Los Angeles
College of William & Mary
St. Anthony College of Nursing
Albany State University/Cordele
Indiana University-Purdue University/Indianapolis
Shelton State Community College
Mississippi State University
Wabash College
University of Maryland/College Park
University of West Florida
Nashville State Community College
Bradley University
University of South Florida
Millsaps College
North Carolina State University
Oklahoma City University
Trinity Valley Community College
Georgia Southern University/Savannah
University of Alabama
Georgia Highlands College
Florida Institute of Technology
Vernon College
Albany State University/West
University of Nebraska/Kearney
Walters State Community College
Washington State University