University of Pennsylvania says it has called in FBI over data breach
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In a statement, the university said that a data breach had affected “select information systems”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) says it has called in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after offensive e-mails were distributed to alumni.
In a statement, the university said that a data breach had affected “select information systems”.
“We are working with law enforcement as well as other third-party technical resources to address this as rapidly as possible,” the university said on Nov 3. The FBI did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
An e-mail sent to UPenn alumni on Oct 31 and reviewed by Reuters showed that someone masquerading as the university slammed the institution as being “elitist”, “woke”, and “completely unmeritocratic” and used other, cruder language to describe its staff and students.
The cybersecurity focused website Bleeping Computer quoted an unnamed individual or entity that they identified as the hacker as saying that the breach exposed data on 1.2 million UPenn donors. Reuters could not independently confirm the claim or identify the hacker or hackers involved.
Institutions of higher education have long been tempting targets for spies and cybercriminals alike.
A series of universities have recently been hit by breaches claimed by a Hitler-supporting hacker, including a breach at Columbia University which ultimately resulted in the leak of details about New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s college application. REUTERS
