Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College experienced a **data breach** between **August 9–12, 2025**, after cybercriminals exploited vulnerabilities in its inadequately secured network. The breach resulted in unauthorized access to sensitive personal information of **tens of thousands of individuals**, including **names, Social Security numbers, financial account details, and credit/debit card information**. The compromised data poses severe risks, such as **identity theft, financial fraud, and potential sale on the dark web**. A forensic investigation confirmed the breach, and Murphy Law Firm is now pursuing a **class action lawsuit** on behalf of affected individuals to recover damages. The exposure of such highly sensitive data undermines trust in the institution and leaves victims vulnerable to long-term exploitation by cybercriminals. The breach highlights critical failures in Dartmouth’s cybersecurity measures, raising concerns over its ability to protect personal and financial data from future attacks. Legal action is being evaluated to hold the institution accountable for negligence in safeguarding confidential information.

Source: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/11/26/3195346/0/en/Dartmouth-College-Data-Breach-Exposes-Personal-Information-Murphy-Law-Firm-Investigates-Legal-Claims.html

Dartmouth College cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dartmouth-college

"id": "DAR3004130112725",
"linkid": "dartmouth-college",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "8/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Tens of thousands of '
                                              'individuals',
                        'industry': 'Higher Education',
                        'name': 'Dartmouth College',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'customer_advisories': 'Affected individuals are advised to visit Murphy Law '
                        'Firm’s website for legal options.',
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Confirmed (files accessed and acquired)',
                 'number_of_records_exposed': 'Tens of thousands',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
                                                         'Social Security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (includes SSNs and financial '
                                        'details)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)',
                                              'Financial Data']},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-11-26',
 'description': 'Dartmouth College recently detected suspicious activity on '
                'its computer network, indicating a data breach. A forensic '
                'investigation revealed that cybercriminals infiltrated the '
                'inadequately secured network and accessed files containing '
                'sensitive personal information of tens of thousands of '
                'individuals between August 9, 2025, and August 12, 2025. The '
                'exposed data includes names, Social Security numbers, '
                'financial account information, and credit/debit card details. '
                'The compromised information may be sold on the dark web or '
                'used for identity theft.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential damage due to exposure of '
                                       'sensitive personal data',
            'data_compromised': ['Names',
                                 'Social Security numbers',
                                 'Financial account information',
                                 'Credit card/debit card information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (due to exposure of SSNs and '
                                   'financial data)',
            'legal_liabilities': 'Class action lawsuit investigation by Murphy '
                                 'Law Firm',
            'payment_information_risk': 'High (credit/debit card information '
                                        'exposed)'},
 'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'Potential (risk '
                                                    'highlighted in advisory)'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (forensic investigation completed; legal '
                         'investigation by Murphy Law Firm in progress)',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Inadequately secured network'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2025-11-26',
                 'source': 'GLOBE NEWSWIRE - Murphy Law Firm Press Release'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Potential class action lawsuit by '
                                            'Murphy Law Firm'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public disclosure via press release; '
                                        'legal advisory by Murphy Law Firm',
              'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Forensic investigation '
                                                  'conducted'},
 'stakeholder_advisories': 'Murphy Law Firm is advising affected individuals '
                           'to join a class action lawsuit.',
 'threat_actor': 'Cybercriminals',
 'title': 'Dartmouth College Data Breach',
 'type': 'Data Breach',
 'vulnerability_exploited': 'Inadequately secured network'}