NYU Website Defaced: Hacker Exposes Sensitive Info on Million Students

New York University's (NYU) website was defaced by a hacking group known as "Computer Niggy Exploitation" in an attempt to expose the university's alleged racism. However, the group's actions have resulted in the exposure of sensitive information on millions of NYU applicants.

The defacement occurred when the hacker group took control of the NYU website, displaying three charts that supposedly showed the average admitted SAT scores, ACT scores, and GPAs for the 2024-2025 cycle. The charts appear to highlight disparities in test scores and GPAs between Asian and Caucasian applicants versus Hispanic and Black applicants.

The hacker group claimed that the Supreme Court's decision to kill affirmative action back in 2023 was not adhered to by NYU, which continued to consider race as a factor in admissions. However, the reality is more complex, with the university allegedly favoring certain groups over others.

Unfortunately for NYU, the hacker group did not stop there. They also accessed four CSV files that revealed sensitive information on 3 million admitted students' applications, including demographic data, city, zip codes, and citizenships. Furthermore, the CSVs contained Common Application data with information such as rejected students, financial aid, Early Decision students, and details on siblings and parents.

The hacker group attempted to redact the files to protect student identities, but were unsuccessful. As a result, full names, addresses, phone numbers, grade point averages, email addresses, and other personal data were exposed. Zack Ganot, one of the people running DataBreach.com, confirmed that the database was uploaded to his platform, allowing students to check if their information had been leaked.

The defacement lasted for approximately two hours before the university's IT team regained control of the website. It is essential for NYU and other institutions to take proactive measures to protect student data and prevent similar incidents in the future.

Meanwhile, the hacking group has raised concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in higher education admissions processes. As the debate over affirmative action continues, it is crucial that universities prioritize fairness, equity, and student privacy.

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