Villa Maria College disclosed a data privacy event after unauthorized access to folders on its network. The incident may have exposed sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account information, payment card information, and dates of birth.
Villa Maria College’s Data Breach Investigation
Villa Maria College (“Villa Maria”) notified individuals of a data privacy event that may have involved their personal information. According to the notice, Villa Maria identified unusual activity within its network on August 12, 2024.
After discovering the activity, Villa Maria stated that it took immediate steps to secure its network. Those steps included resetting passwords and hiring independent cyber incident response specialists to help restore systems safely and investigate the nature and scope of the event.
Following its investigation, Villa Maria concluded that certain folders within its network were subject to unauthorized access and acquisition between August 7, 2024, and August 14, 2024. The college then conducted a comprehensive review of the involved data to determine what information was included and which individuals were affected.
Villa Maria stated that the suspected data set included personal information belonging to notice recipients. The potentially involved information may have included names in combination with Social Security numbers, driver’s license or state identification numbers, tax identification numbers, financial account information, payment card information, and dates of birth.
This type of data breach is concerning because the exposed information may be used by criminals to commit identity theft, financial fraud, tax fraud, or unauthorized account activity. Social Security numbers, tax identification numbers, and financial account data can be especially sensitive because they are difficult to change and may remain useful to bad actors long after a breach occurs.
Villa Maria stated that it has no evidence that the involved information has been used for fraud, identity theft, or another improper purpose. However, the college is offering affected individuals resources to help protect themselves.
As part of its response, Villa Maria reported the incident to federal law enforcement and implemented additional measures to strengthen its security posture. The college is also offering 12 months of Single Bureau Credit Monitoring and identity protection services through Cyberscout, a TransUnion company specializing in fraud assistance and remediation services.
Data breaches involving educational institutions can impact students, employees, alumni, applicants, and others who may have provided sensitive information to the school. When a college stores personal and financial data, it may have a responsibility to use reasonable safeguards to protect that information from unauthorized access.
Affected individuals should carefully review any notice received from Villa Maria, enroll in any offered protection services, and consider whether they may have legal rights connected to the breach.
When Did This Breach Occur?
Villa Maria College stated that certain folders in its network were subject to unauthorized access and acquisition between August 7, 2024, and August 14, 2024.
Villa Maria identified unusual activity in its network on August 12, 2024.
What Information Was Breached?
The information potentially involved may have included:
- Names
- Social Security numbers
- Driver’s license numbers
- State identification numbers
- Tax identification numbers
- Financial account information
- Payment card information
- Dates of birth
What You Can Do
If you received notice from Villa Maria College, review the letter carefully and follow the instructions for enrolling in the complimentary Cyberscout identity protection services.
You should monitor bank accounts, credit card statements, and credit reports for suspicious activity. If you notice unauthorized charges, unfamiliar accounts, or errors, contact your financial institution or service provider right away.
Because Social Security numbers, tax identification numbers, and financial information may have been involved, you may also consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus.
Keep copies of your notice letter and document any time, expenses, or suspicious activity related to the breach. You may also want to learn whether you have legal options.
File a Data Breach Lawsuit Against Villa Maria College
If you received a data breach notification from Villa Maria College, you may be eligible to pursue compensation through a data breach lawsuit. Potential compensation may include reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, lost time, identity theft losses, fraud-related costs, credit monitoring expenses, and loss of privacy.
Educational institutions that maintain sensitive personal information may be responsible for protecting that data with reasonable cybersecurity safeguards. When personal information is accessed or acquired without authorization, affected individuals may have the right to seek accountability.
Contact us at Class Action U, where we’ll connect you with a lawyer skilled in class action lawsuits. If you’ve been contacted about this breach, received notice, or discovered you were impacted, fill out our quick, easy, and secure form to sign up. There is no cost to reach out to our legal partner and no obligation after speaking with someone from our team.
