In February 2023, reports began to surface that Southeastern Louisiana University (“Southeastern”) experienced a cybersecurity incident following comments made by the administration. At the time, however, Southeastern did not disclose any breach, which left students, faculty and the public in general wondering whether anything happened. However, since then, a prominent ransomware gang added Southeastern to the group’s list of victims, adding to the concerns. Still, Southeastern has not yet filed a notice of data breach. However, if the school learns that confidential student or faculty data was exposed to unauthorized access, Southeastern will begin 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 Southeastern Louisiana University, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, organizations not only have a duty to protect your data, but they also have an obligation to let you know when your information has been compromised. However, unless and until an organization reports a data breach, consumers can only wonder whether they were affected and, if so, what information was leaked. 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 a Southeastern Louisiana University data breach, reach out to a data breach lawyer for assistance.

What We Know So Far About the Possible Southeastern Louisiana University Breach

News of the Southeastern Louisiana University data breach is still fresh; however, what we know at this point comes from a few sources. For example, in February 2023, Southeastern Louisiana University acknowledged a cyberattack that required administrators to take some of the school’s IT systems down. Additionally, the BianLian ransomware gang added Southeastern Louisiana University to its victim list shortly afterward. However, Southeastern is now facing concerns from students and faculty that the school has been less than transparent about whether any confidential information was leaked.

More recently, BianLian claims to have leaked 50 gigabytes of data to the dark web. What this data consists of, however, is not yet known. However, the hackers explained that the data includes “accounting data, marketing data, financial data, educational data, and business data.”

Ultimately, if Southeastern Louisiana University experienced a data breach that leaked confidential student or faculty information, the school will be required to send out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised.

More Information About Southeastern Louisiana University

Founded in 1925, Southeastern Louisiana University is a public university located in Hammond, Louisiana. The school’s student body averages around 14,000 students, who are taught by a team of over 600 faculty and staff. Southeastern Louisiana University employs more than 560 people and generates approximately $114 million in annual revenue.