Monroe University Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Information of Hundreds of Thousands
Between December 9 and 23, 2024, an unauthorized party accessed Monroe University’s systems and exfiltrated files containing personal data. The breach was discovered on September 30, 2025, when the university confirmed the compromised files included sensitive information for an unspecified number of individuals.
The exposed data encompassed a wide range of personal details, including names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, driver’s license and passport numbers, medical and health insurance records, financial account information, and email credentials. Student records were also among the affected data.
Impacted individuals were notified via mail on January 2, 2026 over a year after the breach occurred and more than three months after the university confirmed the data’s sensitivity. While Monroe University stated there was no evidence of identity theft or fraud stemming from the incident, it did not offer credit monitoring services to affected parties, according to The HIPAA Journal.
The breach has since sparked legal action. A class action lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Rosemary Maysonet, alleges the university failed to implement adequate security measures, violating federal and state data protection laws. The complaint further criticizes the delayed notification, arguing that the university did not act promptly after identifying the breach. The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, compensatory damages, credit monitoring services, attorney fees, and mandatory improvements to the university’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
Monroe University cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/monroe-university
"id": "MON1768956065",
"linkid": "monroe-university",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2024",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Hundreds of thousands',
'industry': 'Education',
'name': 'Monroe University',
'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Notification via mail on January 2, 2026',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Names',
'Birth dates',
'Social Security numbers',
'Driver’s license numbers',
'Passport numbers',
'Medical records',
'Health insurance records',
'Financial account information',
'Email credentials',
'Student records']},
'date_detected': '2025-09-30',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2026-01-02',
'description': 'Between December 9 and 23, 2024, an unauthorized party '
'accessed Monroe University’s systems and exfiltrated files '
'containing personal data. The breach was discovered on '
'September 30, 2025, when the university confirmed the '
'compromised files included sensitive information for an '
'unspecified number of individuals. The exposed data '
'encompassed names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, '
'driver’s license and passport numbers, medical and health '
'insurance records, financial account information, and email '
'credentials. Student records were also among the affected '
'data. Impacted individuals were notified via mail on January '
'2, 2026, over a year after the breach occurred and more than '
'three months after the university confirmed the data’s '
'sensitivity. A class action lawsuit has been filed alleging '
'inadequate security measures and delayed notification.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Yes',
'data_compromised': 'Hundreds of thousands of records',
'identity_theft_risk': 'Yes',
'legal_liabilities': 'Class action lawsuit filed',
'payment_information_risk': 'Yes'},
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': 'Mandatory improvements to '
'cybersecurity '
'infrastructure (sought in '
'lawsuit)',
'root_causes': 'Inadequate security measures'},
'references': [{'source': 'The HIPAA Journal'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Class action lawsuit filed',
'regulations_violated': ['Federal and state data '
'protection laws']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Notification via mail on January 2, '
'2026'},
'title': 'Monroe University Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Information of '
'Hundreds of Thousands',
'type': 'Data Breach'}