Partial cyber security breach at GV
Some students were informed of a cyber breach within Grand Valley State University, warning that limited personal information may have been exposed to an outside group not affiliated with the university.
GVSU communicates regularly to the U.S. Department of Education about student enrollment through a third party vendor, National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). Some students received notification of their potentially compromised data via an email from the university based on a damage control list provided by NSC.
According to WZZM, the source of the security breach was from a third party application to send and receive data used by NSC. Not all students included in the notification actually had data lost in the breach.
The security breach did not affect GVSU alone, other educational institutions also reported security issues and confidential information breached. University of Michigan and Michigan State University both experience similar cyber security infiltrations as well.
“We did not have very sensitive data breached. Other universities were not so fortunate,” said GVSU Associate Vice President and University Registrar, Pamela Wells.
The NSC informed GVSU that student’s Social Security numbers, date of birth and transcript information were maintained in the breach, and have not been compromised.
Evidence of invasive species in St. Joseph River
The Department of Natural Resources found evidence of Silver Carp in a recent water sample, which could be extremely dangerous for other populations of fish in the Great Lakes. Invasive Carp are considered a major threat to the Great Lakes because they could upend the natural ecosystem.
According to WoodTv, the species are “voracious eaters and would devour the food sources for several popular Great Lakes fish,” should they make into Great Lakes waters.
One of over 200 routine water samples collected was positive for evidence of Silver Carp in the St Joseph River. The sample was part of a regular surveillance routine conducted by the DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The positive collection sample does not guarantee the Michigan river has live Silver Carp present in its waters.
“It is possible for genetic material to be introduced from other sources, such as boats or fishing equipment used in another state where invasive carp are present, then transported and used in Michigan waters,” said DNR Fisheries Research Program manager Seth Herbst.
The positive sample was collected in a location that frequents heavy boater traffic. The DNR’s official statement concluded the detection occurred directly in front of a marina, so the boating traffic could have been a factor in the discovery.
