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Using and Installing Virginia Tech's FindSSN

  1. Downloading & Installing Find_SSN
  2. Running Find_SSN
  3. How it Works
  4. Technical Information Regarding What Find_SSN Will and Won't Do

Return to the Locate SSN and Credit Card Numbers page

Print the Complete Directions:

Using and Installing Virginia Tech's Find SSN (customized for OSU users)

Potential users are highly encouraged to carefully read the following documentation and enlist the support of your local IT staff or 8help. Before You Begin:

  1. Consult your local technical support. If you have technical support in your department or college, it is best to involve them. Your support staff helps ensure local procedures are followed and they provide valuable guidance on Find_SSN's use.
  2. Clear your web browser’s cache. Clearing the cache before running Find_SSN usually eliminates many of the files that will be flagged. This is a good practice to regularly repeat because of the data placed on your computer by certain web sites.
  3. 8help is also available to support you: 
      Phone: 614-688-HELP (4357) 
      Web: 8help.osu.edu 
      E-mail: 8help@osu.edu 
      BuckeyeBar for walk-in support in 25 Central Classrooms

Downloading & Installing Find_SSN

The Ohio State University customized a version of Find_SSN for its internal users. Download the OSU version here: Find_SSN

  • Find_SSN does not require any installation.
  • You can download the Find_SSN tool to your desktop, My Documents folder, thumb drive, or other data source.

Running Find_SSN

1. Run the downloaded file, Find_SSNs.exe

2. You will see the following warning: 

      Find SSN first screen

3. Select OK and you will be prompted to select the folder or volume you want the program to scan: 

      Prompt to select the folder you want to scan

4. Select the folder or drive you want to scan.

Note: If you choose My Computer, you will be scanning any mounted or network attached devices as well as removable media. It is advisable to scan hard drives by selecting them individually.

5. Once you have selected the scanning destination, select the OK button.

6. You will get the following warning before the scan proceeds: 

      Warning screen before scan begins

7. The scan will begin and you will see a progress bar: 

      Find SSN progress bar

8. Once the scan completes you will see a screen that details the next steps as well as the location of the scan results for your review: 

      Find SSN user instructions

9. Print or Save the directions on this screen (Find_SSN Instruction Screen).

Note: This screen will close when you select OK and will not be available unless you repeat the scan.

10. Open the results.html in the Scan_Results folder.

Note: Make sure you read the results.html file in your web browser (Internet Explorer, Fire Fox, etc.).

11. Suspect files are listed in the results.html file with a link to each file and the suspicious number.

12. Examine the files carefully to verify they contain Social Security numbers.

Note: Find_SSN can produce a number of false alarms due to the method it uses to locate potential Social Security numbers. You must verify each file to ensure the data is truly a Social Security number before deciding what to do with the file.

13. If you no longer need the files containing SSN, securely delete them and empty your computer's trash or Recycle Bin.

Warning: Microsoft Office files maintain memory of deleted items so simply removing a column in a spreadsheet or Word document does not adequately redact the Social Security number. You can click here to learn how to perform a secure deletion.

14. If you need the files containing the SSN, store them in a secure, encrypted location. Learn how to encrypt them here.

15. Promptly remove the Find_SSN log file. The Find_SSN logs must be protected. They are often a direct road map to your files containing sensitive information. Whenever possible, remove the log files after you have protected or removed the files that contain restricted data, such as SSN.

Contact 8help at (688-4357) or 8help@osu.edu or your local IT support staff to address any questions or concerns about the above process.

How it Works

Find_SSN is a simple-to-use Windows application. Developed by Virginia Tech, Find_SSN searches for files that may contain data matching the known patterns of Social Security numbers. The program scans for SSN in the following formats (where N is a number and the numbers as a whole are validated as a potential SSN):

  • NNN-NN-NNNN
  • NNN NN NNNN
  • NNNNNNNNN

Unfortunately, Find_SSN is not a foolproof solution. It will also find false positive results. You must verify the existence of the data before taking action to protect, remove, or delete the data from the files.

Technical Information Regarding What Find_SSN Will and Won't Do

Find SSN will scan:

  • Microsoft Word, Excel and Access as well as file formats that store data in plain text.
  • The OASIS Open Document XML format (Open Office 2) and the Microsoft Office 2007 Open XML format.

Find_SSN will not scan:

  • PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format) and PST (Microsoft Outlook) files
  • Encrypted files
  • Nested zip archives
  • Files larger than 100 Megabytes
  • System files and multimedia files

Return to the Locate SSN and Credit Card Numbers page