Copiah-Lincoln Community College

The Maine Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, occurring between March 8–11, 2024, due to unauthorized hacking access. The incident exposed sensitive personal data, including at least one Maine resident’s name and Social Security number, while impacting a total of 53,628 individuals. The compromised information poses risks of identity theft, financial fraud, or misuse of personal details. In response, the college is providing 12 months of free credit monitoring services to affected individuals as a mitigative measure. The breach highlights vulnerabilities in the institution’s cybersecurity defenses, raising concerns over the protection of student, faculty, and staff data. While the full scope of exploitation remains unclear, the exposure of Social Security numbers a high-value target for cybercriminals elevates the potential for long-term harm, including fraudulent credit applications, tax fraud, or phishing attacks targeting victims. The college has not disclosed whether the breach was part of a broader campaign or an isolated incident, but the scale suggests systemic security gaps requiring urgent remediation.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/061fced4-d9d6-4c94-88e8-4c63076cc1f5.html

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/copiah-lincoln-community-college

"id": "cop949091725",
"linkid": "copiah-lincoln-community-college",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "3/2024",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '53,628',
                        'industry': 'Education',
                        'location': 'Mississippi, USA',
                        'name': 'Copiah-Lincoln Community College',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Unauthorized Access (Hacking)',
 'customer_advisories': '12 months of credit monitoring services offered to '
                        'affected individuals',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '53,628',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Personally Identifiable '
                                        'Information)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Name',
                                              'Social Security Number']},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-08-13',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach incident involving Copiah-Lincoln Community College. '
                'The breach occurred from March 8, 2024, to March 11, 2024, '
                'due to unauthorized access (hacking), potentially affecting '
                "one Maine resident's name and Social Security number. A total "
                'of 53,628 individuals were affected by the breach, and the '
                'college is offering 12 months of credit monitoring services.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Name', 'Social Security Number'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (PII exposed)'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-08-13',
                 'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Maine Office of the '
                                                       'Attorney General'},
 'response': {'remediation_measures': 'Offering 12 months of credit monitoring '
                                      'services to affected individuals'},
 'title': 'Data Breach at Copiah-Lincoln Community College',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}