more-in The University of Kerala has decided to approach the State government to rectify the possible data breach that has resulted in the confidential information of several employees and pensioners reaching online fraudsters. A day after The Hindu reported the suspected leak that led to some employees suffering losses from their salary accounts, the varsity authorities sprung into action. In fact, the varsity was caught by surprise as it found itself exposed to a vulnerable cybersecurity environment. Many hundreds of people who were on the payrolls of the varsity are believed to have been contacted by scamsters, who claimed to be officials of the State Bank of India (SBI). While at least five employees have confirmed to have lost varying amounts, even as high as ?2 lakh, senior officials were yet to rule out the possibility of new cases being reported. Syndicate member K.H. Babujan, chairman of the finance standing committee, said the varsity will seek the assistance of the government and the Kerala Police to ascertain the source of the data leak. “The leak of confidential information either from the university’s database or from the bank is being viewed seriously. The situation will be brought to the attention of the government for a high-level probe. No efforts will be spared to rectify the problem,” he said. A section of employees also joined the call for a probe. The Kerala University Staff Union appealed to the Vice Chancellor to initiate urgent action to recover the lost money by bringing the situation to the notice of the police and the bank.

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