On March 24, 2023, the University of the People (“UoPeople”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Maine after learning that an unauthorized party was able to access confidential information stored on the school’s SharePoint platform. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names and Social Security numbers. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, UoPeople 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 the University of the People, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. As we’ve previously mentioned in similar posts, data breaches resulting in a leaked Social Security number are among the most dangerous to consumers. This is because hackers can easily use your SSN, along with other publicly-available information, to commit fraud against you—including identity theft. 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 University of the People data breach, consider reaching out to an experienced data breach lawyer.

What We Know So Far About the University of the People Breach

News of the University of the People data breach is still fresh; however, what we know at this point comes from the company’s filing with the Attorney General of Maine. According to this source, in January 2022, UoPeople learned of a possible data security incident that compromised the security of information stored on the school’s IT network. In response, UoPeople enlisted the assistance of a third-party data security firm and began investigating the incident.

The UoPeople investigation confirmed that between January 2, 2022 and January 10, 2022, one or more unauthorized parties were able to access—and potentially steal—confidential consumer data from the school’s SharePoint platform. SharePoint is primarily used by applicants and students in connection with enrollment in UoPeople courses.

Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, University of the People 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 and Social Security number.

On March 24, 2023, the University of the People sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.

More Information About University of the People

University of the People is a non-profit, tuition-free, accredited online university based in Pasadena, California. UoPeople offers online master’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs, all for no enrollment fee. UoPeople is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (“DEAC”), making UoPeople the first tuition-free online-only university. University of the People employs more than 200 people and generates approximately $23 million in annual revenue.