University of California data breach
From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the December 2020 breach of University of California. For every breach, see Breaches.
The University of California data breach exposed 547,422 accounts from universityofcalifornia.edu in December 2020. The data taken includes dates of birth, names, physical addresses and social security numbers and 6 more kinds of data.[1]
Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 20 Jun 2021, 6 months later. It is the 472nd largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.
What was exposed
University of California’s breach included 10 kinds of data. What each lets criminals do:
| Data | What it’s used for |
|---|---|
| Dates of birth | Used to prove who you are to banks and phone companies. |
| Names | Makes scam messages personal enough to believe. |
| Physical addresses | Used to prove who you are, and for scam letters and parcels. |
| Social security numbers | The key to credit in the US. Freeze your credit. |
| Email addresses | Expect scam emails that name the company to look genuine. |
| Phone numbers | Expect scam texts and calls, and a higher risk of someone moving your number to their SIM. |
| Education levels | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Ethnicities | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Genders | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Job titles | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
What to do
- Check whether you’re in it.Search your email address on Have I Been Pwned. It tells you which breaches it appears in, University of California among them, without showing the data.
- Distrust messages that mention University of California.Scammers use breach data to sound genuine. Don’t click links in emails or texts about the breach; go to the site yourself.
- Put a PIN on your phone account.Ask your mobile provider for a port-out PIN, so no one can move your number to their SIM.
- Freeze your credit.In the US, free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. In Australia, ask Equifax, Experian and illion for a ban. No one can open credit in your name while it’s on.
Timeline
- : the breach, as best it can be dated.
- : Have I Been Pwned verifies the data and adds it to its search, 6 months later.
- : the entry was last updated.
Similar breaches
Breaches that leaked the same kinds of data, closest in time:
- Dave, June 2020, 3 million accounts
- Audi, August 2019, 2.7 million accounts
- bigbasket, October 2020, 25 million accounts
- MMG Fusion, December 2020, 2.7 million accounts
- Drizly, July 2020, 2.5 million accounts
- NetGalley, December 2020, 1.4 million accounts
See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.
References
- ^ Troy Hunt. “University of California”, Have I Been Pwned, added 20 Jun 2021. Breach data licensed CC BY 4.0.
External links
- Have I Been Pwned, to check your email address
- universityofcalifornia.edu, University of California’s website