'Hacktivist' targets Columbia University in major cyberattack
Columbia University was hit by a cyberattack that knocked out email and coursework access for hours.
A hacktivist stole personal info—like social security numbers, citizenship status, admissions decisions, university IDs, salaries, and financial aid details—from about 2.5 million students, applicants, and staff.
The attack mainly targeted files related to affirmative action after last year's Supreme Court ban.
University is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate
The university confirmed the breach and is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate. Most systems are back online and no new suspicious activity has been found since the hack.
Officials say their admissions practices follow Supreme Court rules and that medical center data wasn't affected.
The incident happened as Columbia faces ongoing disputes with the Trump administration over campus issues and funding cuts.