Once they put their mind into it, hackers are perfectly capable of breaking even the most ‘secure’ databases. This time, it was Harvard University’s turn to suffer such an attack just last month, when an unauthorized person gained access to personal information of over 10,000 Harvard students and applicants.

The breach was discovered on February 16 and the university immediately opened an investigation. At the same time, all students and applicants whose data may have been compromised have been notified. The information on the web included Social each applicant’s name, Social Security number, date of birth, address, e-mail address, phone numbers, test scores, previous school attended, and school records.

After the incident, the Harvard University took 5 days to investigate on the source of the attack. The investigators said they couldn’t tell whether similar information has also been accessed, but the University is offering support for identity theft (monitor credit cards and receive alerts in case of fraud).

“Protecting personal information is something Harvard takes seriously, and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience and concern this incident may cause,” said Margot N. Gill, administrative dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). “We are … apologizing to the affected individuals and making identity theft recovery services available to them at our expense. Please be assured that we are taking steps to do what we can to prevent future incidents of this kind.”

Harvard representatives also said that they couldn’t rule out the possibility that all the information stored in the server was accessed and copied, and so they continue to notify all persons whose personal information might have been compromised, and will continue to support expenses for identity theft and credit-monitoring activities.