Monmouth University Hit by PEAR Ransomware Attack, 16TB of Data Compromised

Severity: High (Score: 66.0)

Sources: Classaction, Edscoop

Summary

Monmouth University in New Jersey reported a significant data breach on March 13, 2026, after unauthorized access to its systems was detected. The PEAR (Pure Extraction and Ransom) ransomware group claimed responsibility, stating they stole 16 terabytes of sensitive data, including financial records, personal information, and health records. University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy confirmed the incident and stated that cybersecurity experts and law enforcement were engaged to investigate. Notifications were sent to affected individuals, and attorneys are exploring the possibility of a class action lawsuit for those impacted. The breach has raised concerns about potential phishing campaigns targeting students and employees. As of now, the university is working to assess the full scope of the compromised data and notify those affected. Key Points: • Monmouth University suffered a ransomware attack, resulting in 16TB of stolen data. • The PEAR ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the breach. • Affected individuals may be eligible for a class action lawsuit due to compromised personal information.

Key Entities

• Data Breach (attack_type)
• Ransomware (attack_type)
• Monmouth University (company)
• Education (company)
• classaction.org (domain)
• T1566 - Phishing (mitre_attack)
• Dropbox (tool)
• OneDrive (tool)
• Pear (ransomware_group)
• Pure Extraction And Ransom (ransomware_group)