Some unknown hackers had accessed two servers of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer research and treatment center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. One of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States, its clinical base is the North Carolina Cancer Hospital, part of UNC Health Care.
The hack was discovered by UNC-Chapel Hill’s information technology employees in May 2012, but authorities informed their clients last week.
The center apologized and told the source that compromised data includes the names, emails, passport numbers, Social Security numbers for visiting lecturers, contractors, clients and employees of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Despite our investigation, however, we are unable to say for sure whether your personal information was accessed by an unauthorized person as a result of this incident,” Earp wrote in a letter dated Dec. 26. “Even if your personal information was accessed, we have no way to know whether it has been or will be misused.
The servers were immediately blocked to protect data and handed over to the cyber experts for further analysis.
This is not the first time when UNC’s servers were hacked, In 2009, UNC School of Medicine’s server containing major breast cancer research and study was hacked. The hack put all 180,000 women identity at risk.