Ethical Hacking News
The University of Pennsylvania has been hit with a devastating data breach that exposed sensitive information from its donor database, raising concerns about the institution's security practices.
The University of Pennsylvania experienced a high-profile data breach, with hackers claiming to have stolen sensitive donor information. The breach exposed data on approximately 1.2 million donors, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and donation history. The hackers used a mass email campaign targeting Penn alumni and students to gain access to the compromised employee account. The attackers released stolen files and screenshots online to prove their access to the university's systems. The breach highlights the need for institutions to prioritize security and implement robust measures to protect sensitive data.
The University of Pennsylvania recently found itself at the center of a high-profile data breach, with hackers claiming to have stolen sensitive information from the institution's donor database. According to reports, the breach exposed data on approximately 1.2 million donors, including names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, estimated net worth, donation history, and demographic details such as religion, race, and sexual orientation.
The breach is attributed to a hacker group that gained access to multiple university systems, including employee accounts, VPN, Salesforce data, Qlik analytics platform, SAP business intelligence system, and SharePoint files. The hackers claimed to have exfiltrated the sensitive donor information in the days leading up to October 31st, when the compromised employee account was locked and access lost.
The attackers used a mass email campaign targeting approximately 700,000 recipients, including Penn alumni and students, claiming that the university had been hacked and data stolen. The emails were reportedly sent from Penn.edu addresses using the Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform. However, the university downplayed the incident, describing the messages as "fraudulent emails" that were "obviously fake."
Despite the university's denial, the hacker group released a 1.7-GB archive containing spreadsheets, donation materials, and other files allegedly taken from Penn's SharePoint and Box systems. The attackers also shared screenshots and data samples with BleepingComputer and posted them online to prove that they had indeed accessed these systems and stolen data from Penn.
The breach has raised concerns about the security of institutions handling sensitive donor information. Attackers could use the stolen information to impersonate the university, solicit fraudulent donations, or gain access to donor credentials to breach their online accounts. Penn donors should stay vigilant against targeted phishing or social engineering attempts and treat unexpected messages about donations with suspicion before verifying their legitimacy directly with Penn.
The incident highlights the need for institutions to prioritize security and implement robust measures to protect sensitive data. The use of infostealers or phishing tactics is often used by attackers to gain access to systems, and the breach at Penn serves as a stark reminder that even well-established institutions can fall victim to such attacks.
In conclusion, the University of Pennsylvania's recent data breach exposes 1.2 million donor records, raising concerns about the security of institutions handling sensitive donor information. The incident highlights the need for robust security measures and underscores the importance of vigilance in protecting against targeted phishing or social engineering attempts.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/A-Devastating-Data-Breach-Exposes-12-Million-Donor-Records-A-Cautionary-Tale-for-Institutions-ehn.shtml
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/university-of-pennsylvania-hacker-claims-1.2-million-donor-data-breach/
Published: Sun Nov 2 16:59:45 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
