Southern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University (SIU) suffered a data breach between May 29–30, 2023, caused by an external system hacking incident. The breach exposed Social Security Numbers (SSNs) of 38,286 individuals, including 10 Maine residents. As a mitigation measure, SIU is providing 12 months of free Experian credit monitoring to affected parties. The compromised data primarily SSNs poses a high risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term reputational harm to the institution. The breach underscores vulnerabilities in SIU’s cybersecurity defenses, particularly against external intrusions targeting sensitive personal identifiers. While no immediate financial losses were reported, the exposure of SSNs elevates the potential for downstream fraudulent activities, regulatory scrutiny, and erosion of trust among students, faculty, and alumni. The incident was formally disclosed by the Maine Office of the Attorney General on October 25, 2023, highlighting the delayed public notification timeline.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/ba825b04-966d-4f20-8f79-7f0460c52cc2.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/siu-carbondale

"id": "siu349090725",
"linkid": "siu-carbondale",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "5/2023",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '38,286 individuals (including '
                                              '10 Maine residents)',
                        'industry': 'Higher Education',
                        'location': 'Illinois, USA',
                        'name': 'Southern Illinois University (SIU)',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': 'External System Breach (Hacking)',
 'customer_advisories': ['Complimentary 12-month Experian credit monitoring '
                         'services offered to affected individuals'],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '38,286',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes (SSNs)',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers '
                                              '(SSNs)']},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-10-25',
 'description': 'On October 25, 2023, the Maine Office of the Attorney General '
                'reported that Southern Illinois University (SIU) experienced '
                'a data breach due to an external system breach (hacking) '
                'affecting 38,286 individuals, including 10 residents of '
                'Maine. The breach occurred from May 29 to May 30, 2023, '
                'compromising Social Security Numbers (SSNs). SIU is offering '
                'complimentary 12-month Experian credit monitoring services to '
                'affected individuals.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security Numbers (SSNs)'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs compromised)'},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2023-10-25',
                 'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Office of the '
                                                        'Attorney General']},
 'response': {'remediation_measures': ['Complimentary 12-month Experian credit '
                                       'monitoring services for affected '
                                       'individuals']},
 'title': 'Southern Illinois University Data Breach',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}