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ASU system back online after breach by Anne Ryman - Jan. 19, 2012 09:29 PM The Republic | azcentral.com Arizona State University restored service at its online computer system Thursday night after shutting it down the day before because of a security breach. On Wednesday evening, ASU students and employees were told in a security text alert that the university's ASURITE computer system may have been compromised and that all online services had been suspended. This is the university's main online system, where students and employees log in with passwords and access classes and other services. There are more 300,000 accounts on the system. ASU officials said an encrypted file containing user names and passwords was downloaded Wednesday by an unknown person outside the school. There is no evidence that any information was compromised, but all online services were shut down as a precaution. ASU spokeswoman Terri Shafer said no private information, such as Social Security numbers or bank accounts, was available in the file. Employees and students will be required to enter new passwords to get back into their accounts. Delays may be encountered, and users experiencing difficulty can contact the university help desk at 855-278-5080. "We realize this is inconvenient but felt it was better to take this precaution to secure the system," she said. The university will be working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the breach, Shafer said. For the latest updates, go to asunews.asu.edu/emergencyinfo.
Emergency Info Systems and services restored Posted: January 19, 2012 at 7:47 pm Access to ASU systems and services has been restored. All account holders will be redirected to a password change page when logging in to MyASU or email and will be asked to reset their ASURITE password. Please note that users may experience slow response as the system tries to accommodate the large number of password reset requests, and so we ask that all users please have patience as we restore access to the systems. Users experiencing difficulty may contact the UTO Helpdesk at 855-278-5080. System update Posted: January 19, 2012 at 4:51 pm ASU technical staff are running through final testing to restore systems and services. Check back for next update at approximately 7:30 p.m. ASU technical staff continue to work to restore systems and services Posted: January 19, 2012 at 2:20 pm ASU technical staff continue to work to restore systems and services. However, the ability to log in to ASUrite is still unavailable. Please do not attempt to log in to the system at this time. An update will be posted at 4:30 pm. Message to students Posted: January 19, 2012 at 10:10 am It has been confirmed that an encrypted file containing ASU usernames and passwords was downloaded by an unknown individual. There is no evidence that the ability to decrypt this file was obtained or that any ASU system was accessed using this information. As a precaution, access to all ASU systems has been temporarily disabled until a process for resetting all passwords is in place and all systems are confirmed to be secure. Instructions for resetting your password will be sent to you later today. Classes as scheduled Posted: January 18, 2012 at 06:43 pm Classes will be held tomorrow, Jan. 19, as scheduled. Security Update Posted: January 18, 2012 at 06:40 pm An encrypted file at Arizona State University containing user names and passwords was downloaded today by an unknown individual. There is no evidence that any information has been compromised, but all online services have been shut down as a precautionary measure through tomorrow afternoon, Jan. 19. Further instructions on how to re-subscribe to ASURITE accounts will be posted on asunews.asu.edu/emergencyinfo. ASURITE system down Posted: January 18, 2012 at 05:21 pm The ASURITE system may have been compromised. All ASU web services will be unavailable until January 19th. Updates will be added as available.
ASURITE back online, passwords to reset after breach Posted: Thursday, January 19, 2012 11:50 pm | Updated: 11:56 pm, Thu Jan 19, 2012. Tribune Access to ASURITE, the online system used by Arizona State University students and employees to access personal education and financial records, was restored Thursday evening after being down for more than 26 hours following a potential security breach. The system was locked down Wednesday afternoon after an "encrypted file" containing login information was downloaded by an "unknown individual." According to an alert distributed by the university just after 7:45 p.m. Thursday evening, account holders logging in to MyASU or ASU email through the ASURITE system will be directed to reset their password. The first alert notifying ASU students and employees of the potential breach came Wednesday at about 5:20 p.m. The alert stated that the ASURITE system may have been "compromised," although a follow-up Wednesday at 6:43 p.m. said that despite the download, "there is no evidence that any information has been compromised." "It has been confirmed that an encrypted file containing ASU usernames and passwords was downloaded by an unknown individual. There is no evidence that the ability to decrypt this file was obtained or that any ASU system was accessed using this information," a later alert stated. "As a precaution, access to all ASU systems has been temporarily disabled until a process for resetting all passwords is in place and all systems are confirmed to be secure. Instructions for resetting your password will be sent to you later (Thursday)." Another later alert stated that classes were to be held Thursday as scheduled, however the Facebook page for ASU Online - the university arm that administers online degree programs and courses - had a post Wednesday that said "you may not have access to My ASU or your classes until the afternoon (Thursday). Classes will resume as soon as possible, and due dates will take this into account." According to the university's website help center, ASURITE - the Arizona State University Rational Information Technology Environment is the "primary user login for ASU computing services," with "every person at ASU" assigned a unique ASURITE user identification. The user ID is "used to access various services at ASU," with services depending on the person's affiliation, the help center states. Prospective students can log in to ASURITE to check their application status, while the system houses other sensitive information for current students, including grades, student loan information, and other financial information. According to ASU officials, the system was shut down to protect that information. The university's announcement stating that the system was up and running again also contained the following message: "Please note that users may experience slow response as the system tries to accommodate the large number of password reset requests, and so we ask that all users please have patience as we restore access to the systems. Users experiencing difficulty may contact the UTO Helpdesk at (855) 278-5080."
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