SC · AG Filing: Dec 1, 2025
No cost. No obligation. If your data was exposed by The University of Pennsylvania, you may be entitled to financial compensation.
Start Free Review →Based on the data types reported in this filing:
Your SSN is the master key to your identity. Once exposed, criminals can open new lines of credit, take out loans, or file taxes in your name.
Combined with a name and other leaked data, date of birth helps criminals pass identity verification questions at banks and government agencies.
The University of Pennsylvania was the subject of a data breach notification filed with the SC Attorney General. The AG filing was recorded on December 1, 2025.
From the AG filing description
The University of Pennsylvania operates as a major academic and research institution, serving thousands of students, faculty members, researchers, and patients through its affiliated medical networks and educational programs. As an elite center for higher education and advanced research, the institution routinely collects, processes, and stores vast repositories of sensitive data. This includes comprehensive educational records, financial aid applications, employment histories, personnel files, and confidential health information associated with its university health services and clinical trials. The sheer volume and sensitivity of this information make the institution a prime target for malicious cyber actors seeking to exploit high-value personal profiles. In 2025, the University of Pennsylvania reported a significant security incident to the South Carolina Attorney General, bringing to light vulnerabilities within its digital infrastructure. While investigations into academic and institutional data breaches often point toward sophisticated cyberattacks—such as unauthorized access to enterprise databases, ransomware deployment, or vulnerabilities within third-party vendor software—such events typically underscore systemic weaknesses in network defense mechanisms. For an organization managing diverse digital assets across administrative, academic, and clinical domains, a failure in perimeter security can allow unauthorized actors to infiltrate deep within internal systems, remaining undetected for extended periods while extracting confidential files. The data compromised in incidents of this nature typically encompasses a dangerous combination of personally identifiable information (PII) and institutional records, including full names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, financial account details, and academic or employment credentials. The exposure of this information creates severe, long-term risks for victims. Social Security numbers and dates of birth provide the foundational elements for identity theft, enabling bad actors to open fraudulent credit lines, secure unauthorized loans, or intercept government benefits. When educational histories, payroll records, and contact details are simultaneously exposed, victims face an elevated threat of targeted phishing campaigns, tax fraud, and synthetic identity creation that can take years to resolve. As an institution handling sensitive student, employee, and consumer data, the University of Pennsylvania was bound by strict legal duties to safeguard this information. Under state data protection statutes, the Federal Trade Commission Act, and applicable federal educational and privacy standards like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), organizations holding sensitive data are required to implement robust administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. These legal mandates require regular security assessments, encryption of sensitive databases, prompt patching of known vulnerabilities, and rigorous access controls. The occurrence of a data breach of this magnitude strongly suggests a failure to meet these foundational security obligations, leaving the institution legally accountable for the resulting exposure. Receiving a formal data breach notification letter from the University of Pennsylvania serves as official confirmation that your confidential information was compromised due to inadequate security measures. Legally, this notice establishes your standing to participate in a class action lawsuit aimed at holding the institution accountable for failing to protect your privacy. Affected individuals are not required to prove that they have already suffered direct financial loss or identity theft to seek legal redress; the increased risk of future harm and the necessary expenditures of time and money to monitor your credit are sufficient grounds for action. Our firm evaluates these cases on a strict contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing out of pocket and we only collect a fee if we successfully recover compensation on your behalf.
You may have been affected by the The University of Pennsylvania data breach if:
Common categories of compensation in data breach class actions
The hours spent responding to a data breach — canceling accounts, contacting credit bureaus, updating passwords, and investigating fraud — represent compensable economic harm in data breach litigation.
Once your SSN is exposed, protection becomes an ongoing expense. Plaintiffs in data breach settlements have recovered costs for credit freezes, identity protection subscriptions, and time spent dealing with fraudulent accounts — sometimes covering multiple years of exposure.
Fees charged to close and reopen accounts, issue replacement cards, or dispute fraudulent transactions are recoverable in data breach litigation. So are the costs of overdrafts, late payments, and credit damage caused by unauthorized activity.
Several state data breach laws provide for statutory minimum damages — fixed amounts recoverable per affected individual regardless of actual loss. These provisions exist specifically to make legal action viable for victims who have not yet experienced direct harm.
Note: an attorney general breach filing does not by itself establish a settlement fund, a payment amount, or a claim deadline. If an official settlement notice is later issued, rely on that notice for payment details and deadlines.
Applicable State Law
This breach was reported under the South Carolina data breach notification law, which mandates notification and establishes your right to seek damages.
No. Under South Carolina data breach notification law and federal law, the unauthorized exposure of your personal data — regardless of whether it has been actively misused — can be sufficient grounds for a claim. The breach itself is the injury.
Nothing. The Law Office of David S. Harris handles data breach cases on contingency — you pay zero upfront and owe nothing unless compensation is recovered.
Immediately place a free credit freeze at all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). A freeze blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. Then file a complaint with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov and contact our office — SSN exposure is one of the most serious breach types.
Banks may reverse fraudulent charges, but they are not obligated to compensate you for time lost, stress, or indirect damages. A class action claim against the breached company can recover those additional categories of harm.
Statutes of limitations for data breach claims vary by state but typically run 2–4 years. Depending on when you learned of the breach, you may still have time. Contact our office for a free eligibility review — there is no cost to find out.
Accepting free credit monitoring from The University of Pennsylvania does not waive your right to pursue legal action unless you signed a specific release waiving claims. In most cases, victims who accepted monitoring can still file.
Not necessarily. Many data breach victims are never notified directly. If your personal information was held by The University of Pennsylvania during the relevant period, you may still qualify even without receiving a letter. A free eligibility review can confirm your status.
Learn how to participate in the class action and what compensation you may be entitled to.
Join the Class Action →Use our verification tool to confirm your letter matches this official AG filing.
Verify My Notice LetterThis case file references a public filing made with the state filing in SC. This website is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any state government agency.
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