According to TechCrunch, the University of Pennsylvania confirmed on Tuesday that hackers successfully stole university data during a breach discovered on October 31. The attack compromised systems related to development and alumni activities, with hackers sending offensive emails from official university addresses claiming they’d broken FERPA laws and telling people to stop giving money. While Penn initially called the emails fraudulent, they’ve now admitted information was taken. The breach happened through social engineering, and an internal employee revealed that while MFA is required for most accounts, some high-ranking officials had exemptions. The university has declined to comment on these MFA exceptions or provide adoption rates among staff.
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The Problem with Special Treatment
Here’s the thing about security: it only works when everyone follows the rules. When you start making exceptions for “important people,” you’re basically creating backdoors for attackers. The Penn employee who spoke anonymously said exactly that – some high-ranking officials got passes on multi-factor authentication requirements. And that’s probably how this happened. Social engineering attacks prey on human vulnerabilities, and if someone doesn’t have that extra layer of protection, their credentials become easy pickings. I mean, what’s the point of having security policies if you’re not going to enforce them consistently?
What We Know About the Stolen Data
The hacker claims to have taken documents about university donors, bank transaction receipts, and personally identifiable information. They’re financially motivated, which makes sense given what they targeted. Penn says they’ll contact affected individuals as required by law, but they haven’t said when that will happen or how many people are impacted. Basically, we’re left waiting for the other shoe to drop. The university has set up a data incident page and sent emails to alumni, but the details remain frustratingly vague.
This Isn’t an Isolated Incident
Look, this isn’t just a Penn problem. Earlier this year, Columbia University got hit in a breach affecting around 870,000 students and applicants. Both attacks appear motivated by discontent with affirmative action policies – the Penn hacker’s email specifically mentioned issues with “legacies, donors, and unqualified affirmative action admits.” It’s becoming a pattern where universities with controversial policies become targets. The Columbia breach shows how widespread the damage can be when these attacks succeed.
What Comes Next for Penn
So where does this leave the university? They’ve locked down the compromised systems, but the real work is just beginning. They need to figure out exactly what was taken, notify affected individuals, and probably face some serious questions about those MFA exemptions. The Daily Pennsylvanian is already digging into the released documents, and you can bet regulators will be looking closely too. When institutions that handle sensitive financial and personal data can’t protect it consistently across all levels, it erodes trust in a way that’s hard to rebuild. And honestly, in today’s security landscape, there’s just no excuse for making exceptions on fundamental protections like multi-factor authentication.
