CHARLOTTE -- A possible security breach at Central Piedmont Community College has officials there taking precautions, as a former employee of the college may have accessed private employee information like social security numbers, birth dates and addresses.

Thursday, an email was sent out to nearly 2,600 employees, warning them of the possible incident.

“This kind of thing is surprising here,” said John Cone an employee of the college. He said information security at CPCC is typically very tight. “We exchange information so readily and across so many streams of the net. This can happen anytime, anywhere, it’s no longer an unusual issue.”

Employees were given information about obtaining free credit reports in light of the incident. Officials did not reveal what department the former employee worked in, saying the person was employed for a short period of time.

The college is working with CMPD to resolve the matter.