On March 20, 2023, Oklahoma City University (“OCU”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana after learning that a cyberattack compromised the security of current and former students and employees, as well as others whose personal information was stored on the university’s systems. Based on the university’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license and state ID numbers, and passport numbers. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, OCU began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident.
If you are a current or former student or employee of Oklahoma City University, or you received a data breach notice from the University, your information may be at risk. As we’ve discussed in previous posts on similar topics, data breaches such as this one significantly increase your risk of identity theft and other frauds. Therefore, it is imperative that you understand what’s at stake and what you can do about it. If the pending investigation into the OCU data breach reveals that the university was negligent in storing student or employee information, it may be liable to victims through a data breach lawsuit.
What We Know So Far About the Oklahoma City University Breach
The available information regarding the Oklahoma City University breach comes from the company’s filing with the Attorney General of Montana. According to this source, in July 2022, OCU experienced a cyberattack resulting in the university’s computer system being inaccessible. In response, OCU reported the incident to law enforcement and began working with third-party cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident.
The Oklahoma City University investigation confirmed that the unauthorized party who carried out the attack obtained personal information belonging to current and former students and employees, as well as others with information held on the university’s systems.
Upon discovering that sensitive student and employee data was made available to an unauthorized party, Oklahoma City University began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which people were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, address, Social Security number, driver’s license or state ID number, and passport number.
On March 20, 2023, Oklahoma City University sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.
More Information About Oklahoma City University
Founded in 1904, Oklahoma City University is a private university located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. OCU is divided into eight colleges and schools, including the Petree College of Arts & Sciences, the Meinders School of Business, the School of Law, the Kramer School of Nursing, the Wanda L. Bass School of Music, the School of Theatre, the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment, and the Wimberly School of Religion. In total, OCU offers students a choice between 70 undergraduate majors and 20 graduate degrees. Oklahoma City University has approximately 3,000 students, including 1,200 graduate students. Oklahoma City University employs more than 650 people and generates approximately $70 million in annual revenue.
