Yale University Data Breach Due To Google Hacking Exposing Personal Data

It is used by millions of people on the Internet every day. Now, it is also used with increasing frequency by hackers seeking sensitive data like Social Security numbers: a Google search. A recent data breach at Yale University marks the latest example of a security flaw exposed by "Google hacking," which involves querying the popular search engine for website vulnerabilities. For 10 months, names and Social Security numbers belonging to 43,000 people affiliated with Yale were visible through a Google search, the Yale Daily News reported last week.

On Monday, the security firm Identity Finder said it found 300,000 names and Social Security numbers of California residents who applied for workers' compensation benefits by searching Google for common keywords. And in June, an Australian security consultant said the customer database of Groupon's India subsidiary was also visible through a Google search.