University of Minnesota reports data breach

The University of Minnesota is reporting a potential data breach, which involves the possible unauthorized access to sensitive data within the University's system. The University "became aware that an unauthorized party claiming to possess sensitive data allegedly taken from the University's systems" on July 21.

In response to this claim, the University reached out to law enforcement agencies and initiated an internal inquiry, enlisting the expertise of external global forensics professionals in an effort to confirm the authenticity of the claims made.

While the University has refrained from specifying the full scope of the potential breach, but the exposed data in question likely dates back to the year 2021 or even earlier.

The University has taken additional measures to review their security posture, including security scans conducted subsequent to the initial identification of the potential breach. These scans have shown no subsequent indications of "suspicious activity" tied to the incident. Since the year 2021, the University has collaborated with experts to heighten its system security through measures such as augmenting the capabilities of multi-factor authentication and intensifying the frequency of monitoring activities.

If the investigation is determined that individuals' sensitive personal data has indeed been accessed as part of the breach, the University is fully dedicated to notifying those affected individuals.

Update - The University of Minnesota is sharing new details about the data breach. The compromised data may encompass a range of sensitive information, such as

• names,
• addresses,
• phone numbers,
• Social Security numbers,
• driver's licenses,
• passport details,
• admissions applications

This breach impacts employees, students, and potential students associated with the University of Minnesota within the timeframe of 1989 to 2021.

The breached database did not include data related to financial donors or individuals receiving medical treatment through the University of Minnesota health system. Passwords and credit card information were also confirmed to be unaffected.

Individuals potentially impacted by this breach are being offered 12 months of complimentary credit and identity monitoring services.