Mary Margaret Cleary, a deputy commonwealth attorney from Culpeper County, has filed a civil class action lawsuit against her alma mater, Georgetown University, in response to a significant data breach that occurred earlier this week. This breach compromised the personal information of current and former students, raising serious concerns about privacy and data security.
The lawsuit alleges that the breach exposed sensitive data, including Social Security numbers, tax ID numbers, and payroll information, affecting an unspecified number of individuals. Cleary, who graduated from Georgetown in 2014, claims she is experiencing anxiety and stress due to fears of financial fraud and identity theft resulting from the breach.
Georgetown University reported that the compromised data was accessible for approximately 24 hours and was accessed by 29 students. Doug Little, the university’s chief information officer, clarified that the breach was not due to an external attack but rather an “inadvertent setting change” that allowed unauthorized access to information typically reserved for administrative staff.
The university has since reached out to those who accessed the information, instructing them to delete any data obtained during the incident. However, the implications of this breach have raised alarm among affected students and alumni alike.
Cleary’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and highlights the growing concern over data security in educational institutions. A Georgetown spokesperson has yet to provide a response to the legal action, while Cleary’s legal team at Lowey Dannenberg has not commented at this time.
As the legal implications of this case unfold, it underscores the importance of robust data protection measures in safeguarding personal information.
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