University of Connecticut Says Hit by Hackers From China

Milford: The social security numbers and credit card details of up to 6,000 University of Connecticut students, faculty and others may have been stolen by cyberhackers from China, the university said on Friday.

Officials detected a potential breach of the School of Engineering's network in March and an investigation uncovered that hackers may have gained access to it as early as September, 2013, spokesman Tom Breen said.

He said 6,000 students, faculty, alumni and research partners of the school were notified that their personal information may have been compromised.

"The breach is far more extensive, could impact many more accounts and started much earlier than we originally believed," said Breen. "There is no way at the present time to determine the exact number of accounts hacked," he added.

Breen said the hack has been traced to China "based on the type of cyber-attack that was launched, and the software used." He added the FBI and several state agencies have been notified. The university said it was also taking steps to secure its systems.