On February 26, 2023, Tennessee State University (“TSU”) posted a “Notice of Suspicious Network Activity” after the institution experienced what it believes to have been a ransomware attack. As of March 6, 2023, some of the school’s networks remain down, causing many to wonder if the cyberattack compromised student or faculty information. While the details of the breach have not yet been confirmed, under existing data breach notification laws, TSU must send 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 Tennessee State University, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. 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 Tennessee State University data breach, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What We Know So Far About the Tennessee State University Breach

The available information regarding the Tennessee State University breach comes from a series of notices posted on the school’s website. According to these notices, on February 26, 2023, TSU administrators detected highly suspicious activity on several computers within the school’s network. Based on the nature of the activity, TSU believed at the time that the incident stemmed from a ransomware attack. In response, TSU took its systems offline while it conducted an investigation.

By March 1, 2023, TSU confirmed that the cyberattack was a “ransomware threat” and that students and faculty would not be able to access any of the following remotely: MyTSU, Banner Services, VPN, and Citrix.

On March 6, 2023, TSU released another update, explaining that “[t]he breach is considered only a threat, at this point, and not a ransomware attack.” TSU also asked for patience as it continues to investigate and remediate the incident.

While TSU has not yet confirmed whether any student or faculty information was leaked in the recent “ransomware threat,” that is a distinct possibility. If so, TSU must notify affected individuals through a data breach notification letter.

More Information About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is a public university in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee. Tennessee State University has a student body of more than 8,000 students and a teaching staff of nearly 500, giving the school a student-teacher ratio of approximately 12 to 1. Tennessee State University employs more than 2,428 people and generates approximately $160 million in annual revenue.