What happened to the university?

The breach of the university’s online application database exposed "dozens" of records to unauthorized individuals, said Katharine Harrington, USC dean of admissions and financial aid. She could not be more specific about the number of people whose personal data may have been viewed by the hacker or what their motivation was for the computer break-in. The university was not able to identify exactly which records may have been exposed. The site will be back up once new security measures are taken, the university said in a written statement. A California law that took effect two years ago requires institutions to inform those affected when their personal information has been stolen or accidentally released. A number of states are considering similar legislation, and a bill is pending in the U.S. Senate that would also require institutions to tell people when the privacy of their personal information has been compromised. Consumer advocates say such notification is important because it provides an opportunity for consumers to put a fraud alert on their credit file. Identity theft is the top consumer fraud com- plaint, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which estimates that some 10 million people are affected each year.