Nelnet Breach - Summer of 2022

Nelnet is a student loan company based out of Lincoln, Nebraska. Founded in 1996 by Mike Dunlap and Steve Butterfield, Nelnet is a US-based conglomerate focusing specifically on the administration and the repayment of American student loans.

What Was the Breach?

The breach was to Neltnet's internal server. The exposed information included social security numbers, names, emails, and phone numbers of affected students. Since the breach, Nelnet has assured everyone that no financial information has been exposed.

How Did the Breach Occur?

"Our cybersecurity team discovered a vulnerability believed to have led to this incident and took immediate action to secure the systems, block the suspicious activity, and fix the issue," Nelnet said in the notification letters it sent to impacted students. Nothing much is known about the breach method currently.

When Did This Breach Occur?

This breach occurred in the early summer of 2022.

Who Does the Breach Impact?

The breach can impact anyone whose student loans were related to Nelnet. Many students across the country are worrying about their futures. Still, Nelnet has promised that it, the Department of Education, and the authorities are doing everything in their power to fix the security issues and protect students.

How Many Files Does the Breach Affect?

The breach has affected over 2.5 million students. Nelnet has gifted two years of credit monitoring software, completely free, to any affected students. It’s a good idea for anyone who may have been affected to monitor their own credit and to watch out for possible phishing campaigns through email or text.