**Harvard Hit by New Breach After Phone Phishing Attack**
Elite universities like Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia spend fortunes on research, talent, and digital infrastructure. Yet, they remain easy targets for attackers who see massive databases filled with personal information and donation records as a goldmine.
The latest breach to hit the Ivy League involves Harvard University, which revealed that a database tied to alumni, donors, faculty, and some students was accessed by an unauthorized party. This happened after a phone phishing attack tricked someone into giving the attacker access to the system.
**The Attack**
According to Harvard's notification on its website, "On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Harvard University discovered that information systems used by Alumni Affairs and Development were accessed by an unauthorized party as a result of a phone-based phishing attack." The university acted quickly to remove the attacker's access and prevent further unauthorized access.
The exposed data includes personal contact details, donation histories, and other records tied to the university's fundraising and alumni operations. For Harvard, which routinely raises over $1 billion a year, this database is one of its most valuable assets – making the breach even more serious.
**Ivy League Schools in Crisis**
Harvard isn't alone in this incident. Ivy League campuses have seen a wave of breaches that line up almost back-to-back. Princeton reported on November 15 that one of its databases tied to alumni, donors, students, and community members was compromised. The University of Pennsylvania said on October 31 that information systems connected to its development and alumni activities were accessed without permission.
Columbia has been dealing with an even larger fallout after a breach in June exposed the personal data of approximately 870,000 people, including students and applicants. These attacks show how universities have become predictable targets, storing identities, addresses, financial records, and donor information while running sprawling IT systems vulnerable to a single mistake or weak password.
**Protecting Yourself from Data Breaches**
While you can't prevent breaches, you can make sure your own information is harder to exploit. Here are 7 steps to help reduce the fallout when your data ends up in the wrong hands:
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). Using 2FA gives your accounts an extra layer of security, even if someone steals your password.
- Use a password manager. A password manager creates and stores strong, unique passwords for every site you use, keeping one compromised password from unlocking everything else.
- Check if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Use our No. 1 password manager pick, which includes a built-in breach scanner to check whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks.
- Reduce the personal info floating around. Request takedowns from data broker sites, delete old accounts, and trim what you share publicly.
- Be cautious with emails, texts, and calls. Phishing doesn't always come as obvious scam mail. Attackers spoof institutions, copy their tone, and pressure you into sharing details quickly. Slow down, verify the message through an official website or helpline, then decide.
- Keep your devices fully updated. Regular updates patch holes in operating systems, browsers, and apps that attackers exploit.
- Use an identity theft protection service. These services can monitor personal information like your Social Security number (SSN), phone number, and email address, alerting you if it's being sold on the dark web or used to open an account.
**The Growing Crisis**
Harvard's latest breach adds to a growing list of cyberattacks that show how vulnerable top universities have become. Even the most well-funded institutions aren't keeping pace with modern threats. When a simple phone phishing call can open the door to sensitive data tied to donors, alumni, and students, it's clear that these campuses need stronger defenses and more proactive monitoring.
Until that happens, you can expect more headlines like this and more investigations after the damage is already done. Do you trust universities to protect the personal data you've shared with them? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com