Computer Hacker Accesses 7,000 Patient Files at Indiana University Clinic.

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, March, 2003

The Indianapolis Star Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Mar. 1--Thousands of patients of Indiana University's Center for Sleep Disorders are being urged to keep a close eye on their financial affairs after officials discovered a computer break-in that might have compromised personal information.

IU School of Medicine officials say an automated probe slipped into a center computer in late November after new software was installed. The hacker might have wandered around the center's files, which contain sensitive information such as names, Social Security numbers, home addresses and dates of birth.

The break-in was discovered Jan. 3, according to the school's chief information officer, Vince Sheehan. University officials have notified...