NEW YORK – Columbia University has suffered a major data breach, with hackers stealing 460 gigabytes of sensitive data, including admissions records, login credentials, and personal data of students.
The exposed data includes information on more than 2.5 million applicants and credentials for over 350,000 students and staff. Among the compromised details are Social Security numbers, passport scans, citizenship status, financial aid records, and payroll files.
Cybersecurity experts have verified the breach, calling it one of the most significant attacks on a U.S. university. Investigations are ongoing, and Columbia has not yet disclosed how the attacker gained access.