Southern Illinois University Data Breach Exposes Personal Information of Over 1,600 Individuals
Southern Illinois University (SIU), a public multi-campus system in Illinois, disclosed a data breach that occurred between July 10 and August 16, 2025, after an unauthorized user accessed sensitive files. The university did not detect the incident until July 24, 2026, nearly a year later.
The breach exposed personal data, including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers, affecting 1,597 Texas residents and 23 Vermont residents. The incident was also reported to the California Attorney General, and affected individuals were notified via U.S. Mail.
In response, SIU established a toll-free response line for inquiries, available Monday through Friday (8 a.m.–11 p.m.) and Saturday (9 a.m.–6 p.m.), excluding holidays. The university is also offering credit monitoring services to impacted individuals, with enrollment details provided in notification letters.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/data-breach/southern-illinois-university-2026
SIU Carbondale cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/siu-carbondale
"id": "SIU1787610859",
"linkid": "siu-carbondale",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "7/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '1620',
'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'Illinois, USA',
'name': 'Southern Illinois University',
'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Notification letters sent to affected individuals '
'with credit monitoring enrollment details',
'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '1620',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Names',
'Addresses',
'Social Security numbers']},
'date_detected': '2026-07-24',
'description': 'Southern Illinois University (SIU) disclosed a data breach '
'that occurred between July 10 and August 16, 2025, after an '
'unauthorized user accessed sensitive files. The breach '
'exposed personal data, including names, addresses, and Social '
'Security numbers, affecting 1,597 Texas residents and 23 '
'Vermont residents.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Personal data, including names, addresses, '
'and Social Security numbers',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High'},
'references': [{'source': 'Cyber Incident Description'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['California Attorney '
'General']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Notification via U.S. Mail, toll-free '
'response line, and credit monitoring '
'services'},
'title': 'Southern Illinois University Data Breach Exposes Personal '
'Information of Over 1,600 Individuals',
'type': 'Data Breach'}