SUNY Niagara Student Advances Class Suit Over 2024 Data Breach

SUNY Niagara Faces Class Action Over 2024 Data Breach Exposing 10,000+ Students’ Personal Information

A proposed class action lawsuit against the State University of New York at Niagara (SUNY Niagara) will proceed after a federal judge ruled that lead plaintiff Jacob Baggett sufficiently alleged claims of negligence, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and declaratory judgment. The case stems from a 2024 data breach that exposed the personal information of over 10,000 students.

U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford of the Western District of New York dismissed the plaintiff’s negligence per se claim but allowed the remaining allegations to move forward. Baggett argued that SUNY Niagara failed to implement adequate data security measures and delayed notifying affected individuals, violating its duty to protect sensitive information.

The breach, which occurred earlier this year, has raised concerns about institutional accountability in safeguarding student data. The case highlights ongoing legal and regulatory scrutiny over higher education institutions’ cybersecurity practices.

Source: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/class-action/suny-niagara-student-advances-class-suit-over-2024-data-breach

SUNY Niagara cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/sunyniagara

"id": "SUN1765305594",
"linkid": "sunyniagara",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "1/2024",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '10,000+ students',
                        'industry': 'Education',
                        'location': 'New York, USA',
                        'name': 'State University of New York at Niagara (SUNY '
                                'Niagara)',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '10,000+',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personal information'},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024',
 'description': 'State University of New York at Niagara faces a proposed '
                'class action alleging it negligently failed to protect the '
                'personal information of more than 10,000 students that was '
                'exposed in a 2024 data breach. Lead plaintiff Jacob Baggett '
                'pleaded claims of negligence, breach of contract, unjust '
                'enrichment, and declaratory judgment, while the negligence '
                'per se claim was dismissed.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Personal information of students',
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
            'legal_liabilities': 'Proposed class action lawsuit'},
 'references': [{'source': 'US District Court for the Western District of New '
                           'York'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Class action lawsuit'},
 'title': 'SUNY Niagara Data Breach Class Action',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}