Harvard Data Breach

What Happened

In November 2025, Harvard University suffered a data breach later linked to a ShinyHunters "pay or leak" extortion attempt. The data contained 851k unique email addresses relating to the university's alumni and fundraising systems, along with extensive profile information for donors, alumni, parents and some faculty, staff and students. In Harvard's disclosure notice, the university stated that the breach impacted "personal information such as email addresses, telephone numbers, home and business addresses, event attendance, details of donations to the University, and other biographical information pertaining to University fundraising and alumni engagement activities".

Compromised Data

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Breach Overview

Recommended Actions

Change Your Password

If you haven’t already changed the password affected by this breach, do so immediately on every account where it was used.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Wherever 2FA is supported, add an extra layer of security to your account.

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Guardio

Trusted by 1.5 million paying customers. Guardio blocks scam calls, texts, emails and websites, and helps you close security gaps in your accounts, so you can go about your day with more peace of mind.

Try Guardio
Sponsored
1Password

Use a password manager to generate and store strong, unique passwords for all your accounts. 1Password helps protect your data with industry-leading security.

Try 1Password
Sponsored
Aura

Get Aura for identity theft and credit protection. Keep your assets safe with fast fraud alerts, instant credit lock, and $1,000,000 identity theft insurance. Speak to a U.S. based fraud specialist 24/7.

Try Aura