Princeton University Cyber Attack

On November 10th, Princeton University experienced a cyber attack that resulted in the exposure of data related to alumni, donors, faculty, students, parents, and other community members.

While the university stated that the compromised information typically does not include social security numbers or financial data, hackers may have accessed names, email addresses, phone numbers, personal addresses, and donation details. This information was shared in a community message from the university following the incident. It was disclosed that the attack was conducted by an external party and lasted less than a day.

“Currently, we are uncertain about what specific information in our database was accessed or viewed,” the message conveyed, adding, “We will provide updates as soon as we have more information.”

Princeton also mentioned that they are collaborating with law enforcement but, unfortunately, have no updates regarding potential suspects.

This attack was reportedly initiated after a university employee fell victim to a phone phishing scheme. Recently, the University of Pennsylvania faced a similar issue, where its email system was hacked, resulting in a series of emails that criticized the university and made allegations regarding discriminatory practices. Reports indicated that personal information for up to 1.2 million individuals might have been compromised, though the university contested these claims.

Additionally, in June, Columbia University suffered a breach affecting over 870,000 individuals. The leaked information included health records, student data, and personal contact details, among other sensitive information.