University of Pennsylvania data breach

What happened

In October 2025, the University of Pennsylvania was the victim of a data breach followed by a ransom demand, largely affecting its donor database. After the incident, the attackers sent inflammatory emails to some victims. The data was later published online in February 2026 and included 624k unique email addresses alongside names and physical addresses. For some donor records, additional personal information was exposed, including gender and date of birth. A small subset of records also contained religion, spouse name, estimated income and donation history.

What data leaked

• Charitable donations
• Dates of birth
• Email addresses
• Genders
• Income levels
• Job titles
• Names
• Physical addresses
• Religions
• Salutations
• Spouses names

What to do if you had an account

1. Turn on two-step sign-in. Enable two-factor authentication where the service offers it, preferably with an authenticator app or a passkey. A leaked password alone is then not enough to get in.
2. Expect targeted phishing. Leaked contact details are used to write convincing fake messages that mention the breached company or your real name. Do not click links in unexpected emails or texts about this account; go to the site by typing its address.
3. Guard against identity fraud. Identity documents and dates of birth cannot be changed like a password. Consider a credit freeze or fraud alert where your country offers one, and be wary of anyone who 'verifies' you using those details.
4. Sensitive personal data. This breach includes sensitive categories of personal data. Scammers and blackmailers use such details to pressure people. Do not pay, and report extortion attempts to the police.

Check your email at haveibeenpwned.com

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