New Mexico State University officials say a theft of a university employee's laptop containing dozens of students' personal information is unlikely to lead to identity theft.
The Las Cruces Sun-News reported Sunday that 170 students received a letter Aug. 11 saying the thief wasn't targeting the computer's data.
NMSU head of information technology Norma Grijalva says there was no information that could make the school's central computing system vulnerable to hackers.
According to court documents, authorities arrested 19-year-old Oscar D. Quintana of Sunland Park for the theft. Quintana told police he sold the laptop after stealing it last June.
The laptop contained students' birthdates and Social Security numbers.
Grijalva says officials are trying to raise security awareness and the school continues to enhance its training in data security.
___
Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.