U Penn Hacker Says Motive Was Money, Not Anti-DEI Stance
▼ Summary
– A hacker claims to have stolen approximately 1.2 million lines of data from the University of Pennsylvania, intending to sell donor information before making other documents public.
– The alleged hacker stated their primary goal was financial gain through accessing Penn’s wealthy donor database, distancing themselves from previous ideologically motivated university hacks.
– Leaked data includes personal information from a donor database such as emails, phone numbers, and addresses, with samples verified by individuals contacted by The Verge.
– Penn was reportedly targeted due to its weak authentication system, and the university is investigating the breach with the FBI’s involvement.
– Among the compromised data are records of high-profile individuals, including former President Joe Biden and his family members, as well as internal university documents.
The recent data breach at the University of Pennsylvania was driven by financial motives rather than ideological opposition to diversity initiatives, according to an individual claiming responsibility for the hack. This person asserts that approximately 1.2 million lines of data will remain private for potential sale before any public release, with additional documents slated for publication. In communications with reporters, the hacker distanced their activities from prior university cyberattacks, such as those targeting Columbia University, which were publicly framed as protests against unlawful pro-diversity policies.
“Our main goal was to get the wealthy donor database,” the alleged hacker stated via encrypted messaging, clarifying that an inflammatory email criticizing legacy admissions and affirmative action was merely “just a fun rant.” Among the compromised materials are internal university documents, including talking points prepared for former Penn President Liz Magill’s congressional testimony. Magill resigned following controversy over her remarks that calling for the genocide of Jews would be “context-dependent” under the school’s conduct code.
Penn’s media relations director, Ron Ozio, has not yet responded to requests for comment. The university confirmed it is investigating the incident and has involved the FBI. A data sample reviewed by journalists appears to be extracted from a donor database, listing contact details, donation histories, and sensitive personal information such as religious affiliations. Two individuals confirmed that their private data appeared in the leaked files.
Some documents, including the Magill briefing memo, have already surfaced on Leakforum. Cybersecurity expert Zack Ganot of DataBreach.com reviewed the samples and noted, “They reflect genuine access to internal, confidential Penn materials, including recently created files.” The hacker claims to possess archival data dating back decades, referencing records of individuals born in the 1920s, some now deceased.
Penn was allegedly targeted due to its “fairly weak authentication system,” making it an attractive mark for hackers seeking information on ultra-high-net-worth individuals connected to well-endowed universities. The hacker emphasized their independence from earlier, ideologically motivated attacks on institutions like Columbia, NYU, and the University of Minnesota. While another hacker had claimed those breaches were meant to expose continued use of affirmative action, a claim viewed skeptically given their online behavior, the Penn infiltrator insists profit, not politics, was their objective.
“Once [donor data] was already exfiltrated, we sent that email out just as a fun rant,” they explained. “A lot of the reporting has framed this as primarily ‘anti-DEI’ motivated…neither of those two things was the reason we targeted them.” Among those whose information was reportedly accessed are former President Joe Biden and multiple members of his family.
(Source: The Verge)
