Pacific Union College Breach - July 2021-February 2022
Pacific Union College Breach
The Pacific Union College is a liberal arts college located in Angwin, California, that's been in operation for more than 140 years. This private four-year university is the only one of its type in Napa County. The school is coeducational, offers approximately 70 different degree programs, and has about 1,600 students at any given time. It's considered a small school and is known for competing in eight different sports in the NAIA athletic organization.
What Was the Breach?
The data breach exposed a great deal of personal information. Some of the information includes:
- Name
- Social Security Number
- Date of Birth
- Driver's License
- Government ID Numbers
- Credit or Debit Card Information
- Medical Treatment Information
- Email Addresses and Passwords
How Did the Breach Occur?
An individual was able to get access to a group of employee email accounts and the attachments within those emails. It's unclear how access was initially obtained, but it was held for many months.
When Did This Breach Occur?
The unauthorized individual accessed the email accounts between July 6, 2021, and February 25, 2022. It's alarming that the email access breach went unnoticed for so long before actions were taken to remedy it.
Who Does the Breach Impact?
The breach impacts school customers, students, and applicants. Anyone that sent confidential information to one of the impacted email addresses at Pacific Union College could have been affected by the breach. Data contained within the body of an email, as well as in the email's attachments, could have been accessed during the time of the breach. Only some of the information listed above was likely leaked for each individual, but enough information could have been leaked for serious credit damage to occur.
How Many Files Does the Breach Affect?
A total of 3,700 individuals are estimated to have been potentially impacted by the breach, according to this Pacific Union Notice of Data Breach issued by the institution.
