University of St. Thomas Data Security Investigation

Recently, it was reported by multiple online sources that St. Thomas had experienced a cybersecurity incident impacting the privacy of its data. According to these sources, a cyberattack impacted St. Thomas servers in early August that compromised student, faculty, and staff records.^1,2 A ransomware company claimed credit for the St. Thomas cyberattack and reportedly took 1.8 terabytes of data, which equates to hundreds of thousands of documents.^1,2 Files reviewed from a small portion of what the ransomware company posted online related to St. Thomas appear to show staffers’ credit card, bank account, and Social Security numbers; passports and licenses; logins and passwords related to work-related accounts; some students’ home addresses, email, and phone numbers; donor contact information; and monthly country club membership fees.¹ Additionally, the files reviewed contain unverified documents detailing confidential information pertaining to St. Thomas student and faculty conduct and disciplinary actions, including the names of relevant student and faculty members.¹

According to an online source, a spokesperson for St. Thomas said that the university is working on a statement and there is an ongoing investigation.² In early September, the new president of St. Thomas said that specialists were determining the scope of the “data impacted” and that affected individuals would receive a formal notification after the investigation’s completion, offering free credit monitoring codes to students, faculty, and staff in the meantime.¹ As of October 16, 2025, St. Thomas has not shared a statement or acknowledgement of the cyber security incident on its website or social media pages.²