Dear Members of the Ohio University Community,

I take the recent lapses in our computer network security very seriously and deeply apologize for the stress and inconvenience that this has caused you. We hold ourselves fully accountable and are doing everything in our power to ensure that all members of our community will not have to face this situation in the future. 

Ohio University recently has been conducting an ongoing, thorough security audit of its computer network system in an effort to upgrade the University’s network security. The audit, conducted by an independent consultant, is just one piece of a multifaceted approach we are using to protect the information of all members of the Ohio University community.

Over the past month, we have taken a number of measures to ensure the security of the university’s computer systems, including completing a survey of systems housed in the central machine room, implementing numerous firewalls, rebuilding operating systems, and taking nonessential servers off line. We also have hired experts in the information security field to assist in these efforts.

As part of our next steps, we will be performing a comprehensive risk assessment with outside consultants to help decrease the possibility of breaches occurring again. I will continue to keep you informed of our progress. In the meantime, please visit www.ohio.edu/datasecurity for more information.

Cordially,
Roderick J. McDavis
President