Cal Poly Portal - Financial Aid

1/10/2020

We are sending this letter to you as part of California Polytechnic State University’s commitment to privacy. We take privacy very seriously at Cal Poly and out of an abundance of caution it is important to us that you are made fully aware of an issue.

What Happened?

The California Polytechnic State University Information Security Office was recently informed your personal information was accessed and modified by malicious actors between December 29-30, 2019.  It was determined your Cal Poly username and password were obtained during an aggressive phishing campaign conducted on December 26, 2019.

What Information Was Involved?

Personally identifiable information including financial aid direct deposit banking information; additionally directory information to include name, email address(es), phone number(s), emergency contact information and Last-4 of your Social Security Number.

What Are We Doing?

Upon receiving indications of suspicious logins into your account, your account was locked and we began activity monitoring your Direct Deposit activity. Additionally, we’re looking for additional security controls we can implement to better secure your data.

What You Can Do?

If you have concerns about potential harm, the references below can explain how to receive a free copy of your credit report either through the Fair Credit Reporting Act or as a result of placing a fraud alert on your credit files:

California Privacy Protection Agency https://cppa.ca.gov/

Social Security Office https://www.ssa.gov/privacy/

Free Credit Report https://www.annualcreditreport.com

The three credit bureaus are also a good source of information regarding identity theft:

                  Equifax (800) 525-6285 www.equifax.com    
                  Experian (888) 397-3742 www.experian.com                 
                  TransUnion (800) 680-7289 www.transunion.com

If you become aware of suspicious activity after reviewing your credit reports or accounts, please contact law enforcement and the credit bureaus to report the crime and to investigate the incident.

We want to assure you that we have policies and procedures to protect your privacy and will be reviewing our policies to ensure that this does not happen again.  Please report suspicious email, or if you’re unsure about the validity of an email, to abuse@calpoly.edu; our team will research and provide feedback if valid.

For More Information, Please ontact:

Justin Vastine

Director, Student Financial Services

Administration and Finance

California Polytechnic State University

San Luis Obispo, CA 93407