Harvard University Data Breach Exposes 850,500 Accounts

• •Harvard's breach exposed data of over 850,000 accounts due to a vishing attack.
• •The ShinyHunters group claimed responsibility and leaked data after ransom demands were refused.
• •No sensitive financial information or Social Security numbers were compromised.

In November 2025, Harvard University experienced a data breach affecting over 850,000 unique email addresses linked to its Alumni Affairs and Development systems. The breach was discovered on November 18, 2025, and was attributed to a phone-based phishing attack, known as vishing. The stolen data includes names, email addresses, birth dates, phone numbers, physical addresses, donation details, and event attendance records. Harvard confirmed that the compromised systems did not store sensitive information such as Social Security numbers or financial data. The ShinyHunters extortion group claimed responsibility and leaked a dataset containing over 1 million records in February 2026 after Harvard refused to pay a ransom. The breach has raised significant concerns regarding data sovereignty and the exposure of sensitive institutional strategies. Have I Been Pwned confirmed the breach affected 850,500 unique accounts, with detailed profile information for donors and alumni.