HackingEducationEducationStolen CredentialsCapture Stored DataData ExfiltratedTargetedIdentity (basic)Government IDFinancialHealth (basic)MediumContained

Columbia University

bd_9b1ee72034df1e55 · schema v1 · pii pii-v1

Severity

Medium

Discovered

Jun 24, 2025

Filed

Aug 7, 2025

To disclose

6 weeks

Affected

Not disclosed

Linked

15 filings

Confidence

67%

Full breach record for Columbia University →7 incidents on file

Columbia University disclosed a cyber incident where an unauthorized third party accessed its network on or about May 16, 2025, and exfiltrated files. The breach affected names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and academic/financial data. The university reported the incident to law enforcement and offered two years of credit monitoring. Approximately 2,510 Rhode Island residents were identified as impacted.

J jump to incidentP pin to compareR raw source

Vermont clock⏱ VT AG >14 bday6 weeks discovery → filing

⚠ unattributedNo provenance was recorded for this discovery date and it matches no other date on the record. It may be correct, but it is not independently grounded.

Incident timeline

undetected · 39 days

discovery → filing · 6 weeks / 44 days

May 16, 2025

Begins

Jun 24, 2025

Discovered

Aug 7, 2025

Filed

vs. sector median

2 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

Maine State AGbd_07533b0c85ac791c2025-08-07Candidate
Massachusetts State AGbd_0e780a9cd65865c92025-08-07Verified
Washington State AGbd_2c8504262b9c10eb2025-08-07Verified
Indiana State AGbd_44bbed6c166a9c6d2025-08-07Verified

Show 6 more filings ↓up to 19d gap

Nebraska State AGbd_4af6126d602d67a62025-08-07Verified
Delaware State AGbd_82648491a36c0afc2025-08-07Verified
Montana State AGbd_88b5b3d68c5a023a2025-08-07Verified
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

Name: Columbia University
norm: columbia university
Industry: Educationllm

Discovered: Jun 24, 2025
Breach occurred: May 16, 2025
Undetected for: 39 daysoccurrence → discovery
Materiality determined: —
Notification sent: Aug 7, 2025
Affected individuals: Not disclosed
Data types: Identity (basic)Government IDFinancialHealth (basic)
Data elements: Social Security numberDate of birth
Attack vector: Unauthorized Access
MITRE ATT&CK: T1078 Valid AccountsT1041 Exfiltration Over C2 Channel
Threat actor: External
Regulator citations: Reported the incident to law enforcement
Initial access: valid_credentials

During the incident: Activated response process
Launched investigation with support of external cybersecurity experts
Reported the incident to law enforcement
Implemented safeguards across systems to enhance security
Offering two years of complimentary credit monitoring and identity restoration services through Kroll
Changes made: 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: 6 weeks(44 days from discovery to filing)
Compliance flags: VT AG >14 bday
Discovery-date grounding: unattributedNo provenance was recorded for this discovery date and it matches no other date on the record. It may be correct, but it is not independently grounded.

Status: No extraction artifact recorded for this disclosure.

Filing propagation · 11 filings · 11 states

View merged incident ↗

Maine State AGAug 7 · first

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 · this page

Iowa State AG+1d

New Hampshire State AG+5d

Rhode Island State AG+19d

Pattern: first filing Aug 7 (ME), 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://ago.vermont.gov/document/2025-08-07-columbia-university-data-breach-notice-consumers
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: b5e02feafb98cdccfebcddf3c0ba7c9a59226ac95d3672a6135dfefba2060563

Linked disclosures

Regulatory filings (10) · sorted by filing gap

Reporting entityColumbia University

Victim entityColumbia University

Incidentdiscovered Jun 24, 2025

Stated responseActivated response process

ComplianceVT AG >14 bday

Extraction provenanceno artifact recorded

Source provenanceago.vermont.gov