SAN DIEGO -- More than 178,000 former and current San Diego State University staff and students are at risk of identity theft after hackers tapped into a computer server late last year, 10News reported.

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SDSU Staff, Students At Risk Of Identity Theft

The hackers had access to the server, located in the financial aid office, until the end of February. Private information, including Social Security numbers, was accessible to the hackers.

The hackers used a server to send spam and other files.

Most of the information belongs to people who have filed for financial aid at SDSU.

"We don't have any indication that the intruders used access for identity theft purposes. But we don't want to take that chance. We are notifying all the people on that server that were affected to be on the lookout for identity theft," said SDSU spokesman Jason Foster.

Many students expressed concern and disbelief about the hacking.

"That's just horrible if they could do harm to someone," junior Kristen Lucci said.

"I had no idea someone hacked in. I can't believe the system was that unsafe where people could hack in like that," sophomore Larnie Boyd said.

School officials said that they are now implementing new security measures that would switch the use of social security numbers to a nine-digit identification system.

Click here for more information about the hacked server and how to protect yourself from identity theft.