Laurentian University reports data breach after cyber attack

Laurentian University is reporting a "limited data breach" caused by a larger cyber incident that was first identified on February 18th 2024. In response to this breach, Laurentian University has engaged law enforcement and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

The data compromised in this breach primarily pertains to individuals associated with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and the Living with Lakes Centre/Co-operative Freshwater Ecology Unit. The groups impacted include:

• Employees (including student workers) of the Living with Lakes Centre / Co-operative Freshwater Ecology Unit hired since 2022.
• Employees affiliated with the same center, who have been approved to operate fleet vehicles from 2019 onwards.
• Graduate students connected to the Living with Lakes Centre / Co-operative Freshwater Ecology Unit, who have received stipends between 2019 and the present.
• Undergraduate medical students and postgraduate residents of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, who joined the program between 2005 and 2019.
• The university has also noted that a small number of individuals outside the employee or student categories have been affected by this incident and will be contacted directly with further information by the same date.

Laurentian University is still in the process of identifying the full scope and specifics of the data exposed, a task expected to extend over several months. No details are disclosed about the nature of the attack or the number of affected individuals.

To mitigate the risk of identity theft stemming from this breach, the university is offering two years of free credit monitoring to all affected individuals.