Data

Update of HEA Springboard website exposes personal data of 45,000 users

Members of the Garda, the prison service and people working in the HSE are among those whose details could be viewed online

Helen Dixon, the Data Protection Commissioner: the DPC contacted the Higher Education Authority on Friday about a potential data security breach. Picture: Bryan Meade

Personal details of over 45,000 individuals who attended state-backed higher education courses have been exposed as a result of a potential data security breach, the Business Post can reveal.

Among those whose details may have been accessed are members of the Garda, the prison service, and people working in the Health Service Executive.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) on Friday disabled a feature it recently introduced on its website that allowed employers to directly contact ...