Breach occurred 2025-11-18Verified

Harvard data breach

harvard.edu

What happened

In November 2025, Harvard University suffered a data breach later linked to a ShinyHunters "pay or leak" extortion attempt. The data contained 851k unique email addresses relating to the university's alumni and fundraising systems, along with extensive profile information for donors, alumni, parents and some faculty, staff and students. In Harvard's disclosure notice, the university stated that the breach impacted "personal information such as email addresses, telephone numbers, home and business addresses, event attendance, details of donations to the University, and other biographical information pertaining to University fundraising and alumni engagement activities".

850,537 accounts affected

Breach date 2025-11-18

Data exposed

Charitable donationsCitizenship statusesDates of birthEducation levelsEmail addressesEmployersEthnicitiesFamily members' namesGendersJob titlesMarital statusesNamesOccupationsPhone numbersPhysical addressesPlaces of birthSalutationsSocial media profiles

Frequently asked questions

When did the Harvard data breach happen?

The Harvard data breach occurred on November 18, 2025. It was added to Have I Been Pwned's breach catalog on November 3, 2026.

How many accounts were affected by the Harvard breach?

850,537 accounts were affected by the Harvard data breach, according to Have I Been Pwned's records.

What data was exposed in the Harvard breach?

The Harvard breach exposed the following data types: Charitable donations, Citizenship statuses, Dates of birth, Education levels, Email addresses, Employers, Ethnicities, Family members' names, Genders, Job titles, Marital statuses, Names, Occupations, Phone numbers, Physical addresses, Places of birth, Salutations, Social media profiles.

Is the Harvard breach verified?

Yes. Have I Been Pwned has verified the Harvard breach, meaning there's confirmed evidence the exposed data is genuine and tied to real accounts.

How do I check if my email was affected by the Harvard breach?

Use KazaSec's free Email Breach Checker (/tools/breach-check) to check whether a specific email address has surfaced in the Harvard breach, or any other known breach, the tool never stores what you search.

Was your own email in this breach?

Our free Email Breach Checker tells you whether a specific email address has surfaced in this breach, or any other known breach, without ever storing what you search.

Check your email →

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