Last time HSU undertook an initiative to uncover and eliminate unnecessary and/or inappropriate storage of social security and credit card numbers on local hard drives and network shares three years ago, we were able to reduce that storage volume by 97%.

It’s now time to repeat that initiative. Two weeks ago ITS pushed an updated version of the Identity Finder software out to all HSU computers so that you can conduct your own search for, and cleanup of, files containing the following three key items of Level 1 data:

• Social Security numbers
• Credit card numbers
• Driver's license numbers

You'll find Identity Finder on your desktop - it's the icon with the blue dog head. If you have not already done so, please use this software to scan your system and “shred” (securely delete) any Level 1 data on your system or in your shared drive that does not serve a current campus business need. Instructions for running the scan can be downloaded from the Identity Finder service page under Using this Service.

On October 15, the campus Information Security Office will initiate a remote scan of all campus computers. If you have already scanned your computer, this process will simply collect your results; if you have not scanned your computer, it will be scanned for you. Based on the results, ITS will work with your department on the appropriate handling of confidential data moving forward.

For hints and tips on scanning your computer painlessly, see the Identity Finder service page.