On May 9, 2023, Mercer University posted an article discussing a recent data breach stemming from a cyberattack that resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access confidential student and faculty information. Based on the university’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, Mercer University began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from Mercer University, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. Universities and colleges—like all organizations that store consumer data—have an obligation to protect the information in their care. However, doing so requires an ongoing commitment to data security, which is both costly and time-consuming. As a result, many organizations let their data security systems fall out-of-date, which makes their computer networks—and the information stored on them—vulnerable to a cyberattack. To learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft and what your legal options are in the wake of the Mercer University data breach, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What We Know So Far About the Mercer University Breach

News of the Mercer University data breach is still fresh; however, what we know at this point comes from the school’s own post regarding the incident. According to this source, Mercer University recently learned that an unauthorized party was able to gain access to the school’s computer network. In response, Mercer University worked with law enforcement and outside cybersecurity professionals to investigate the incident.

The Mercer University investigation confirmed that the unauthorized party was able to access certain files on the school’s computer network that contained confidential information belonging to certain students and faculty members.

Upon discovering that sensitive student and faculty data was made available to an unauthorized party, Mercer University began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, Social Security number and driver’s license number.

On May 9, 2023, Mercer University sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.

More Information About Mercer University

Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a private research university located in Macon, Georgia. Mercer University is broken up into 12 schools, including liberal arts and sciences, business, health professions, medicine, theology, engineering, law, education, music, college of professional advancement, pharmacy and nursing. The school has a student body of approximately 9,000. Mercer University employs more than 1,885 people and generates approximately $211 million in annual revenue.