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GREENSBORO — Police are investigating a computer breach at Bennett College, where a hacker accessed personal information of about 1,100 employees and students.

DeQuan Jones, the college’s director of information technology, said there was no indication the information had been used — just that it has been accessed. The breach at a payroll computer occurred the weekend of Feb. 13 and involved names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, pay rates and bank transit numbers, Jones said.

He described it as “cybervandalism.”

The college posted an FAQ on its Web site and set up an automated number to call for updated information: 517-1933.

The college reported the breach Feb. 19, Greensboro police Detective Jeff Flinchum said.

At this point, it’s hard to say what charges might be filed in the case because investigators are still determining what took place, said Flinchum, who works for the computer forensics unit in the criminal investigation division.

He would not comment on whether any money had been taken from victims’ bank accounts or whether there were any suspects. “I really don’t want to give out too much information,” Flinchum said.

The breach occurred at a single payroll computer, which has now been secured by adding encryption software and changing the locks to the office where it is located, Jones said. Extra cameras have also been installed.

“We are taking every possible precaution to make sure that this does not happen again,” Jones said.

He believes it is the first time personal information has been hacked at the all-women college.

The hacker used a special application to access password and login information for the computer, Jones said. He did not know if information was downloaded or printed out.

The college has since used a “sniffer” program to search other computers for similar applications. None was found, Jones said.

The private college has about 770 students and nearly 60 faculty members, according to its Web site. There was no information on the number of staff members.

Jones said everyone potentially affected has been advised of the breach and encouraged to check with their banks and credit-reporting agencies to see if any unusual activity has occurred.

That is good advice for anyone, Flinchum said: “Everybody should pull their credit report and review it for accuracy” at least once a year.

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez@news-record.com