Saint Xavier University last week started notifying over 210,000 individuals that their personal information was compromised in a data breach in July 2023.
The incident was discovered on July 21, 2023, but the investigation into the matter revealed that the unauthorized access to the university’s systems occurred weeks before.
Between June 29 and July 18, SXU says, the attackers downloaded certain files from its systems, including files containing personal information.
According to the university, the review of the compromised data was thorough and time-consuming and was followed by significant efforts “to enrich necessary address information and reconcile the records to further the notification assessment and process”.
On October 30, 2024, however, the university began sending written notifications to the potentially impacted individuals, notifying them that their names, Social Security numbers, and financial information might have been compromised. The affected personal information varies by individual, SXU says.
The university submitted a copy of the notification letter to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, noting that the data breach impacted 212,267 people.
Saint Xavier University is offering 12 months of free credit monitoring services to the potentially affected individuals and is providing them with guidance on how to protect their information.
While SXU did not say what type of cyberattack it fell victim to, the Alphv/BlackCat ransomware gang claimed responsibility for the incident in August 2023.
A private Roman Catholic university in Chicago, Illinois, Saint Xavier University was founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, as a women’s college. It offers various undergraduate majors and graduate programs through two colleges.
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