A University of Nevada, Reno professor has lost a flash drive that contained the names and Social Security numbers of 16,000 current and former students, according to the University. A spokesperson confirmed that the flash drive contained the information of incoming freshmen who enrolled in the fall semesters from 2001 through 2007.
The flash drive, which is about the size of a thumb, was lost somewhere in downtown Reno on October 19. The professor involved has not been identified by the University; nor has the institution announced why the professor was in possession of Social Security numbers.
There has been no statement from University of Nevada to suggest that the memory stick had any security measures (e.g. encryption or biometrics) to protect the data stored on it.
