Harvard University Database Compromised in Latest Wave of Ivy League Cybersecurity Breaches

Harvard University, America's oldest and wealthiest academic institution, recently fell victim to a cyberattack where an unauthorized party gained access to a database containing sensitive information of alumni, donors, and select students and faculty members.

The security breach occurred on Tuesday following a phone phishing attack, marking the second cybersecurity incident Harvard has investigated this year. The compromised database included personal contact details, donation records, and various fundraising and alumni engagement information.

As a fundraising powerhouse that typically generates over $1 billion annually, Harvard had previously announced in October that it was looking into reports of data compromise resulting from a hacking campaign that targeted Oracle Corp. customers.

Tim Bailey, director of communications at Harvard University Information Technology, stated that the university "acted immediately to remove the attacker's access to our systems and prevent further unauthorized access." He added that Harvard is collaborating with third-party cybersecurity specialists and law enforcement to thoroughly investigate the incident. The university has not identified any potential suspects behind the attack.

This incident adds to a growing trend of cyberattacks targeting U.S. colleges, with Ivy League institutions experiencing particularly severe breaches in recent months. Princeton University reported a compromise of its database containing information on alumni, donors, students, and community members on November 15. Similarly, the University of Pennsylvania discovered on October 31 that some of its information systems related to development and alumni activities had been breached.

Columbia University began investigating a more extensive hack in June that reportedly compromised the personal information of approximately 870,000 individuals, including students and applicants, according to the school's reports filed with state officials.