Bennett College Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Information of Students and Staff
Bennett College, a historically Black liberal arts college for women in North Carolina, disclosed a data breach in late 2025 that compromised a wide range of sensitive personal information. The incident, detected following a network disruption on or around November 15, 2025, revealed unauthorized access to the college’s systems between October 27 and November 15 of the same year.
The exposed data includes names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license and state identification numbers, dates of birth, U.S. alien registration numbers, financial account details, taxpayer ID numbers, passport numbers, digital signatures, medical records, and health insurance information. The extent of the breach varies by individual, with some affected parties potentially having only partial data exposed.
Bennett College has begun notifying impacted individuals via notice letters, as required by regulatory protocols. Legal professionals, including those affiliated with ClassAction.org, are investigating the possibility of filing a class action lawsuit on behalf of affected parties, citing potential harm such as loss of privacy, financial fraud, and out-of-pocket expenses.
The breach was reported to relevant authorities, though no further details on the nature of the attack or the perpetrators have been publicly disclosed. The incident underscores the ongoing risks institutions face in safeguarding sensitive data.
Source: https://www.classaction.org/data-breach-lawsuits/bennett-college-august-2026
UNCF cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/united-negro-college-fund
"id": "UNI1788340246",
"linkid": "united-negro-college-fund",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "10/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Students and staff',
'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'North Carolina, USA',
'name': 'Bennett College',
'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Notice letters sent to impacted individuals',
'data_breach': {'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
'Social Security '
'numbers',
'Driver’s license and '
'state identification '
'numbers',
'Dates of birth',
'U.S. alien '
'registration numbers',
'Passport numbers',
'Digital signatures'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information',
'Financial Information',
'Medical Records',
'Health Insurance Information']},
'date_detected': '2025-11-15',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-12-01',
'description': 'Bennett College, a historically Black liberal arts college '
'for women in North Carolina, disclosed a data breach in late '
'2025 that compromised a wide range of sensitive personal '
'information. The incident, detected following a network '
'disruption on or around November 15, 2025, revealed '
'unauthorized access to the college’s systems between October '
'27 and November 15 of the same year. The exposed data '
'includes names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license and '
'state identification numbers, dates of birth, U.S. alien '
'registration numbers, financial account details, taxpayer ID '
'numbers, passport numbers, digital signatures, medical '
'records, and health insurance information. The extent of the '
'breach varies by individual, with some affected parties '
'potentially having only partial data exposed.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential harm to reputation due to '
'loss of privacy and financial fraud '
'risks',
'data_compromised': 'Sensitive personal information including '
'names, Social Security numbers, driver’s '
'license and state identification numbers, '
'dates of birth, U.S. alien registration '
'numbers, financial account details, taxpayer '
'ID numbers, passport numbers, digital '
'signatures, medical records, and health '
'insurance information',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'legal_liabilities': 'Potential class action lawsuit',
'payment_information_risk': 'High'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'references': [{'source': 'ClassAction.org'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Potential class action lawsuit '
'investigation',
'regulatory_notifications': 'Reported to relevant '
'authorities'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Notice letters sent to impacted '
'individuals'},
'title': 'Bennett College Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Information of '
'Students and Staff',
'type': 'Data Breach'}