Slashdot: Hacker With ‘Political Agenda’ Stole Data From Columbia, University Says

Jul 3, 2025

—

Source URL: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/07/03/0012219/hacker-with-political-agenda-stole-data-from-columbia-university-says?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
Source: Slashdot
Title: Hacker With ‘Political Agenda’ Stole Data From Columbia, University Says

Feedly Summary:

AI Summary and Description: Yes

**Summary:** The breach of Columbia University’s IT systems by a politically motivated hacker highlights significant vulnerabilities in higher education cybersecurity. This incident exposes highly sensitive data, including Social Security numbers and admissions information, raising immediate concerns about data privacy and compliance with regulations.

**Detailed Description:**
The recent breach at Columbia University underscores critical security and compliance issues within higher education institutions, particularly concerning the safeguarding of sensitive personal data. Here are the major points of significance from the incident:

– **Attack Description:**
– A politically motivated hacker accessed Columbia University’s IT systems, stealing substantial amounts of sensitive data over a two-month period.
– The hacker reportedly targeted multiple layers of the university’s servers, indicating advanced technical skills and persistence.

– **Data Compromised:**
– Approximately 1.6 gigabytes of data were stolen, containing personal information from 2.5 million applications, including:
– Admissions decisions (accepted or rejected)
– Citizenship status
– University ID numbers
– Details about desired academic programs
– The breach also included sensitive financial information such as financial aid packages and employee pay data.
– Notably, at least 1.8 million Social Security numbers belonging to students, applicants, employees, and their family members were compromised.

– **Motivation and Implications:**
– The hacker’s declared motive was to investigate potential violations of a recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in admissions.
– This incident raises alarms about the ethical implications of cyberattacks and the potential misuse of personal data for political purposes.

– **Regulatory and Compliance Concerns:**
– The breach highlights the need for comprehensive data protection strategies within educational institutions to ensure compliance with privacy regulations such as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
– Organizations must enhance their cybersecurity resilience to protect against both external threats and insider vulnerabilities.

– **Practical Insights for Security Professionals:**
– Organizations, especially those handling sensitive personal data, must adopt robust security measures, including:
– Regular audits and assessments of IT infrastructure.
– Implementation of strict access controls and zero trust frameworks.
– Continuous monitoring for unusual activity to detect breaches early.
– Training for staff on security best practices and the importance of data privacy.

In conclusion, the Columbia University breach is a stark reminder of the increasing threat landscape faced by institutions, emphasizing the need for stringent security protocols, better compliance measures, and a proactive approach to data protection.

01 1 2 3 5 7 a access access control access controls Act advanced AI and anti app Application applications ARM art as assessment assessments ated attack attacks audit Audits Best best practices Bi breach breaches by Byte C CERN CI CIA co Col compliance compliance issues compliance measures compromised concerns continuous continuous monitoring control controls core court critical cyber cyberattack Cyberattacks cybersecurit Cybersecurity Cybersecurity Resilience D data data compromise data privacy Data Protection data protection strategies de decision decisions DoT e education educational Educational Institutions end ERP ethical ethical implications exp External face financial financial information for framework frameworks g GDPR Gen general General Data Protection Regulation H hack hacker handling high higher education higher education cybersecurity Highlight HR http HTTPS implementation implications in incident information infrastructure insights institutions io issue J k l land least led Li Link long M measures media mission misuse Monitor monitoring multi N new news no non o of on opt organization organizations ory oS out over personal data personal information point potential practices pre privacy privacy act privacy regulation privacy regulations pro proactive professionals protection protocol protocols ps R Raise raising rate RCE red Regulation regulations regulatory report Resil resilience right Ro robust security RoT Rust s safe sec security security and compliance security best practices security measure security measures security professionals security protocols security resilience sensitive data sensitive personal data server servers side Sig skills SoC social Social Security Numbers source SSE STAR stealing STIG strategies system systems T Tails targeted tech Technical Skills ted the threat threat landscape threats to Tor TP training trust two under up US use V Violations vulnerabilities Wi x yt z Zen zero Zero Trust zero trust frameworks