On 20 February, a data breach was reported in the University of Glasgow’s School of Engineering. An email was sent to all students in the faculty at around 1630 detailing the data breach.
Exam scripts and marks of individuals may have been included in the data breach. According to Scott Roy, the Associate Head of Engineering School & Director of Learning and Teaching, the breach happened when data was gathered for the school’s professional bodies.
The data was stored on an improperly configured MS Teams site, which may have allowed University employees and students to view the data and identify outside parties involved in accreditation.
Upon discovery, the School worked with the Information Services to reduce any potential dangers. After conducting an inquiry and reviewing the logs of all individuals who accessed the material, the School came to the conclusion that just one individual – who would not have otherwise had access to the records – was able to see the exam results and the annotations made by the marker.
The downloaded data has now been deleted.
Scott Roy has assured that steps are being taken by the University’s IT team to provide enhanced training for staff and students to prevent further incidents.
A University spokesperson said: “The James Watt School of Engineering has sincerely apologised to students and assured them that the information is no longer accessible.
“Action is being taken to provide enhanced guidance and training for staff and students, and the School will also review how information is shared.”
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