HackingEducationEducationData ExfiltratedCustomer Data InvolvedIdentity (basic)Government IDFinancialHealth (basic)CriticalContained

Columbia University

bd_07533b0c85ac791c · schema v1 · pii pii-v1

Severity

Critical

Discovered

Jul 8, 2025

Filed

Aug 7, 2025

To disclose

4 weeks

Affected · nationwide

868,9692,026 in this filing

Linked

15 filings

Confidence

65%

Full breach record for Columbia University →7 incidents on file

Columbia University reported an external system breach (hacking) occurring between May 16 and June 24, 2025. The incident affected approximately 868,969 individuals nationwide, including 2,026 Maine residents. Compromised data included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and academic/financial/health information. Columbia engaged external cybersecurity experts, reported to law enforcement, and is providing 24 months of credit monitoring and identity protection services through Kroll.

J jump to incidentP pin to compareR raw source

Maine clockDiscovered Jul 8, 2025 → Filed with AG Aug 7, 202530d ✓ ME AG ≤30d4 weeks discovery → filing

⚠ AG web formThe discovery date came from the AG web-form field, which is systematically later than the detection date stated in the letter. Treat the clock as indicative.

Incident timeline

undetected · 53 days

discovery → filing · 4 weeks / 30 days

May 16, 2025

Begins

Jul 8, 2025

Discovered

Aug 7, 2025

Filed

vs. sector median

6 wks faster

This filing is one of 15 about the same incident.View merged incident

Linked disclosures

Why this link?

Regulatory filings (10) · sorted by filing gap

Massachusetts State AGbd_0e780a9cd65865c92025-08-07Verified
Washington State AGbd_2c8504262b9c10eb2025-08-07Verified
Indiana State AGbd_44bbed6c166a9c6d2025-08-07Verified
Nebraska State AGbd_4af6126d602d67a62025-08-07Verified

Show 6 more filings ↓up to 19d gap

Delaware State AGbd_82648491a36c0afc2025-08-07Verified
Montana State AGbd_88b5b3d68c5a023a2025-08-07Verified
Vermont State AGbd_9b1ee72034df1e552025-08-07Verified
Iowa State AGbd_2337be0c0546ca352025-08-08 · +1dVerified
New Hampshire State AGbd_1de0d58aeabac3772025-08-12 · +5dVerified
Rhode Island State AGbd_d3027779956216f92025-08-26 · +19dVerified

Showing first 10 of 14 linked disclosures.

Name: Columbia University
norm: columbia university
Industry: Education

Name: Columbia University
norm: columbia university
Industry: Education
Industry: Educationllm

Discovered: Jul 8, 2025
Breach occurred: May 16, 2025 – Jun 24, 2025
Undetected for: 53 daysoccurrence → discovery
Materiality determined: —
Notification sent: Aug 7, 2025
Affected individuals: 868,969state + nationwide
Data types: Identity (basic)Government IDFinancialHealth (basic)
Data elements: Social Security numberDate of birth
Attack vector: Unauthorized Access
MITRE ATT&CK: T1190 Exploit Public-Facing ApplicationT1041 Exfiltration Over C2 ChannelT1119 Automated Collection
Threat actor: ExternalFinancial
Regulator citations: Reported the incident to law enforcement
Initial access: exploit_public_facing

During the incident: Activated response process
Launched investigation with support of external cybersecurity experts
Reported the incident to law enforcement
Offering 24 months of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Kroll, LLC
Changes made: Implemented a number of safeguards across its systems to enhance security
Examining what additional steps can be taken and additional safeguards can be implemented to prevent something like this from happening again
Source: Quoted from the filing itself, not independently verified.

Time to disclose: 4 weeks(30 days from discovery to filing)
Compliance flags: ME AG ≤30d · 30dME CRA notice due
Discovery-date grounding: AG web formThe discovery date came from the AG web-form field, which is systematically later than the detection date stated in the letter. Treat the clock as indicative.
Clock breakdown: Statute Window Elapsed Threshold Status
Maine
Discovered: Jul 8, 2025
→ Filed with AG: Aug 7, 2025
30d 30 days ME AG ≤30d

Statute	Window	Elapsed	Threshold	Status
Maine	Discovered: Jul 8, 2025 → Filed with AG: Aug 7, 2025	30d	30 days	ME AG ≤30d

Status: No extraction artifact recorded for this disclosure.

Filing propagation · 11 filings · 11 states

View merged incident ↗

Massachusetts State AGAug 7 · first

Washington State AGAug 7 · first

Indiana State AGAug 7 · first

Nebraska State AGAug 7 · first

Delaware State AGAug 7 · first

Montana State AGAug 7 · first

Vermont State AGAug 7 · first

Maine State AGAug 7 · first · this page

Iowa State AG+1d

New Hampshire State AG+5d

Rhode Island State AG+19d

Pattern: first filing Aug 7 (MA), last Aug 26 (RI) — a 19-day rolling notification. Rolling spreads often mean counsel is filing as thresholds trip per state. Why this link?

Cascade drawn from the first 10 linked disclosures of 14 — the full spread may be wider.

Evidence ladder

Leak-site claim

Attacker assertion only. Establishes: claim date, group, alleged victim.

Press / market report

Unlocks: incident narrative, operational impact. Still no compliance clock.

State AG / regulator filingThis record

Unlocks: discovery date, data types, affected count, compliance clock.

SEC 8-K / victim statement

Unlocks: materiality, stated response, full audit trail. Ceiling removed.

Source URL: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/5cd48662-983a-4c9d-8b5b-e5e097cbbcd5.html
DisclosureLens links to the originating regulator URL — full filing bodies are not redistributed from public surfaces (§4.5).
Filed at: Aug 7, 2025
Raw hash: d3d4f03b9bd1dd9a9d003b9fd7363e7f53480210dcd50458544295e2a29c19c3

Linked disclosures

Regulatory filings (10) · sorted by filing gap

Reporting entityColumbia University

Victim entityColumbia University

Incidentdiscovered Jul 8, 2025

Stated responseActivated response process

ComplianceME AG ≤30d

Extraction provenanceno artifact recorded

Source provenancewww.maine.gov