January 1, Harvard Hit in Fresh Data Breach Targeting Alumni

Wyatt’s Take

• Elite universities are failing to protect private data from hackers.
• Harvard’s phone scam breach put alumni and donor information at risk.
• Other Ivy League schools are also falling victim to cyberattacks.

Big-name colleges pour money into tech, but hackers keep finding their way in. Harvard is the latest to suffer a breach that exposed sensitive data of alumni, donors, students, and faculty.

These breaches are sounding the alarm: the folks running elite schools aren’t keeping our information safe enough.

Harvard said a phone phishing scam tricked someone into giving hackers access to a valuable database. The compromised data included personal contact info and records showing who gave money to the school.

“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 said in a statement. “The University acted immediately to remove the attacker’s access to our systems and prevent further unauthorized access.”

For a school that takes in over a billion dollars a year, this is a big deal. It’s also the second time they’re looking into a cyber incident lately, proving they’re firmly in the hackers’ crosshairs.

Other Ivy League schools like Princeton and Penn have also been hit, with Columbia’s breach affecting around 870,000 people. These incidents show the same weaknesses over and over: over-sized databases, sprawling tech setups, and simple tricks like phishing that work too often.

Hackers are figuring out the patterns, targeting what’s valuable, and not letting up.

Folks can’t stop these institutions from getting hit, but you can make it harder for crooks to use your data. Use two-factor authentication, pick strong and unique passwords with a password manager, and limit how much of your info is out there online.

Request data removals from broker sites, delete old accounts, and watch what you share. Using a data removal service can help reduce your risk if you’re worried about personal info on the internet.

Watch these breaches closely—if elite schools can’t defend our data, regular families need to be ready and stay alert.

Full details on the Harvard breach

Wyatt Matters

Everyday Americans trust the system to protect their personal information. When big institutions slip up, it’s regular folks who pay the price. Staying vigilant and taking steps to guard your own data is more important than ever.