Accidental Attachment of Spreadsheet to Email Leaves Personal Information Available and Unprotected From Possible Identity Theft

A simple mistake made at a computer can cause a chain of events no one would want to be involved in.

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education, or OSSE, notified students of a security breach when a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was accidently attached and emailed out to other applicants. The information was a compilation of those who applied for grants, and included names, home addresses, Social Security numbers and the birthdates of thousands of online applicants.

A letter was sent out to those who may have been affected, and credit monitoring services are being provided for those who would like to protect their personal information. It was an accident, and deeply regretted.