Harvard University: Hackers publish personal information stolen during Harvard, UPenn data breaches

ShinyHunters Leaks Data from Harvard and UPenn After Ransom Demands Rejected

The hacking group ShinyHunters has released over one million records each from Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), following data breaches last year that the institutions confirmed but did not pay ransom to resolve.

In November, UPenn disclosed a breach affecting systems tied to development and alumni activities, attributing it to a social engineering attack. The hackers had previously emailed alumni from official university addresses, claiming discontent with affirmative action policies a motive the group later did not clarify when questioned. UPenn’s breach disclosure, now offline, did not specify the exact data compromised.

Harvard also confirmed a breach in November, citing a voice phishing attack that targeted alumni systems. The stolen data included email addresses, phone numbers, home and business addresses, donation histories, and other biographical details related to fundraising efforts.

ShinyHunters published the datasets on their leak site after both universities refused to pay the demanded ransom. The group, known for extortion tactics, typically releases stolen data when victims decline payment. TechCrunch verified portions of the leaked data by cross-referencing it with public records and alumni confirmations.

UPenn stated it is analyzing the released data to determine if further notifications are required under privacy regulations. Harvard has not responded to requests for comment.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/04/hackers-publish-personal-information-stolen-during-harvard-upenn-data-breaches/

Harvard University cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/harvard-university

"id": "HAR1770230343",
"linkid": "harvard-university",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "11/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Alumni',
                        'industry': 'Education',
                        'location': 'United States',
                        'name': 'Harvard University',
                        'size': 'Large',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'},
                       {'customers_affected': 'Alumni',
                        'industry': 'Education',
                        'location': 'United States',
                        'name': 'University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)',
                        'size': 'Large',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Social Engineering, Voice Phishing (Vishing)',
 'customer_advisories': 'Alumni notifications',
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
                 'number_of_records_exposed': 'Over 1 million per institution',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Personally Identifiable '
                                        'Information)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Email addresses',
                                              'Phone numbers',
                                              'Home and business addresses',
                                              'Donation histories',
                                              'Biographical details']},
 'description': 'The hacking group ShinyHunters has released over one million '
                'records each from Harvard University and the University of '
                'Pennsylvania (UPenn), following data breaches last year that '
                'the institutions confirmed but did not pay ransom to resolve. '
                'UPenn disclosed a breach affecting systems tied to '
                'development and alumni activities, attributed to a social '
                'engineering attack. Harvard confirmed a breach citing a voice '
                'phishing attack targeting alumni systems, with stolen data '
                'including email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, donation '
                'histories, and other biographical details.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Likely significant',
            'data_compromised': 'Over 1 million records per institution',
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
            'systems_affected': 'Alumni and development systems'},
 'initial_access_broker': {'high_value_targets': 'Alumni systems'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (UPenn analyzing released data)',
 'motivation': 'Extortion, Alleged discontent with affirmative action policies '
               '(unconfirmed)',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': ['Social engineering attack (UPenn)',
                                            'Voice phishing attack (Harvard)']},
 'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
                'ransom_demanded': 'Yes',
                'ransom_paid': 'No'},
 'references': [{'source': 'TechCrunch'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Under analysis '
                                                       '(UPenn)'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public disclosures, alumni '
                                        'notifications'},
 'threat_actor': 'ShinyHunters',
 'title': 'ShinyHunters Leaks Data from Harvard and UPenn After Ransom Demands '
          'Rejected',
 'type': 'Data Breach, Ransomware'}