Campus ID News
Card, mobile credential, payment and security
FEATURED
PARTNERS
Cybersecurity

Isolated data breaches leave student, university files vulnerable

Andrew Hudson   ||   Apr 16, 2021  ||   

A series of unrelated data breaches and cyberattacks have cropped up at universities across the country in recent weeks. University databases are always a prime target for hackers and would-be fraudsters, and a few recent incidents are serving as a reminder of the value that university databases hold.

Here's a brief rundown of a few cyberattacks that have taken place at the University of Colorado, Brown University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

U. of Colorado data breach

Hackers are attempting to extort the University of Colorado after a cyberattack that may have compromised personal information from more than 310,000 files.

The information compromised in the breach included grades and transcript data, student ID numbers, race/ethnicity, veteran status, visa status, disability status and limited donor information. The attack may have also compromised “some medical treatment, diagnosis and prescription information, and in limited cases, Social Security numbers and university financial account information,” according to the news release.

The attackers have posted small amounts of data on the internet and are threatening to post more if they are not paid.

University officials were alerted to an attack on a file-sharing system run by third-party vendor, Acellion, in late January and immediately shut down the service. CU was one of at least 10 universities and organizations involved in the attack.

CU is providing credit monitoring, identity monitoring, fraud consultation and identity theft restoration to those affected, most of whom were connected to the Boulder campus.

Brown University responds to cyberattack

A separate cybersecurity attack led Brown University to shut down some of its computer programs last week.

In a letter to the campus community, Bill Thirsk, Brown University's chief digital officer and chief information officer, stated that the university detected a security incident on March 30, which affected the availability of certain systems within Brown’s computer network.

The cyber threat affected the university’s Microsoft Windows-based programs, prompting employees to shut down connections to the university’s central data center.

Several systems have remained online, including Banner Self Service, Canvas, Workday, Zoom, and Google. Thirsk said most systems have been restored, including brown.edu websites, Library.Brown.edu, Listserv services and others. File sharing services remain limited in use or are yet to be restored.

U. of Maryland, Baltimore data breach

A third data breach at the University of Maryland last week could impact as many as 309,079 students, faculty and staff. The breach included information on anyone issued a campus ID for Maryland's College Park and Shady Grove campuses since 1998.

Stolen data included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and university ID numbers.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

RECENT ARTICLES

Brista Hurst UT Tyler

Learn to analyze card system data at NACCU’s popular Data Summit

In a recent CampusIDNews Chats interview, Brista Hurst-Kent, Business Technology Services Manager at the University of Texas at Tyler, shared her experience attending the NACCU Data Summit. This two-day workshop focused on empowering participants to use common reporting tools – specifically Microsoft Excel with Power Pivot and Power Query – to create interactive dashboards that […]
Credentials 101 Series banner

Understanding chip options for contactless campus cards

Three main components underly modern credential technology – chips, formats, and encryption. Each are applicable to both cards and mobile credentials and understanding them is key to making informed decisions for your campus card program. In this series of articles, we will dive into each component, but first a brief preview. Chips are the core of […]
Apex OrderHQ Array modular lockers
Jul 02, 25 /

Modular locker solution streamlines campus order pickup

Apex Order Pickup Solutions launched a new modular system of automated order pickup lockers that can be stacked or setup in custom configurations. The OrderHQ Array Series lockers work in any floor plan without expensive remodeling. In an interview with Food On Demand, Kent Savage, founder and executive chairman of Apex Order Pickup Solutions, compares […]
CIDN logo reversed
The only publication dedicated to the use of campus cards, mobile credentials, identity and security technology in the education market. CampusIDNews – formerly CR80News – has served more than 6,500 subscribers for more than two decades.
Twitter

Attn: friends in the biometrics space. Nominations close Friday for the annual Women in Biometrics Awards. Take five minutes to recognize a colleague or even yourself. http://WomenInBiometrics.com

Feb. 1 webinar explores how mobile ordering enhanced campus life, increased sales at UVA and Central Washington @Grubhub @CBORD

Load More...
Contact
CampusIDNews is published by AVISIAN Publishing
315 E. Georgia St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.AVISIAN.com[email protected]
Use our contact form to submit tips, corrections, or questions to our team.
©2025 CampusIDNews. All rights reserved.