University of California Data Breach
Status: Confirmed
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: University of California · Actor: Unknown · Source: Have I Been Pwned / ObscureIQ intelligence
Attack: Vulnerability Exploitation via Vulnerability exploitation
Timeline: Breach (Dec, 2020) · Reported (Jun, 2021) · Leak (6/20/21)
Exposure: 547K+ records · Dates of birth, Education levels, Email, Ethnicities, Genders, Job titles, Names, Phone numbers, Physical addresses, Social security numbers
Status: Confirmed · Risk: High (Identity theft + Phishing / SIM swap)
Summary
In December 2020 the University of California suffered a data breach due to vulnerability in in a third-party provider Accellion. The breach exposed extensive personal data on both students and staff including 547 thousand unique email addresses names dates of birth genders social security numbers, ethnicities and other academic related data attributes. Further analysis is available in Exploring the Impact of the UC Data Breach. The data was provided to HIBP courtesy of Cyril Gorlla.
About University of California
University of California is the organization affected by this breach. User data may have been generated through account creation, service usage, or business operations.
If you have interacted with University of California in any capacity, your data may be included in this breach.
Threat Actor: Unknown
The threat actor responsible for this breach has not been publicly identified or confirmed at this time.
- Vulnerability exploitation
Breach Exploitation Status
High
Status
Detected
Possible
Detected
Possible
Unknown
Indefinite (critical identifiers)
SSNs and government IDs never expire. This data can be used for identity theft years or decades after exposure.
Data Points Exposed
Dark Web Verification
Status: Confirmed
- Dataset containing approximately 547K+ records has been identified in breach intelligence sources.
- The data is indexed and searchable across breach notification platforms.
Impact
This breach carries high risk due to the nature of exposed data fields and the scale of affected records.
- Targeted phishing referencing University of California accounts or services
- Identity theft using exposed Social Security Numbers
- SIM-swap attempts where phone numbers are present
- Physical mail scams and address-based identity verification fraud
- Age/DOB used to bypass identity verification questions
- Data broker enrichment and resale
Recommendations for Impacted Individuals
If you believe your information may be included:
Non-clients may request a breach impact review.
University of California account updates
Password reset requests
Verify directly through official channels.
Email compromise is often the first pivot point.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Dec, 2020, University of California experienced a data breach that resulted in the exposure of approximately 547K+ records containing personal information.
The exposed data includes Dates of birth, Education levels, Email, Ethnicities, Genders, Job titles, Names, Phone numbers, Physical addresses, Social security numbers.
Approximately 547K+ records were affected based on current breach intelligence.
Yes. This breach is treated as confirmed based on data observed in breach intelligence platforms.
Data circulation has been detected across breach-sharing channels. Downstream exploitation risk exists based on the nature of the exposed fields.
Rotate passwords associated with University of California, enable multi-factor authentication on email and financial accounts, and monitor for suspicious activity.
Protect Yourself
Check If You’re Affected
Enter your email to check if your data appears in this breach.
Get Free Breach Alerts
Be the first to know when new breaches are disclosed. Free forever.
High-Risk? Get an Exposure Audit
Executives, public figures, and high-net-worth individuals face elevated risk. Our team provides full-spectrum exposure audits and threat monitoring.
Corporate Accountability
Organizations that collect personal data have a duty to implement reasonable safeguards and to notify affected individuals when breaches occur.
Scope assessments may evolve as investigations continue. Users should not rely solely on early estimates when making risk decisions.
ObscureIQ Advisory
We combine proprietary dark web access with commercial and restricted breach intelligence to verify exposure and assess real-world risk.
- A public-facing individual
- A high-profile executive
- A customer of University of California
- Or simply concerned about credential reuse
We can confirm whether your information is circulating and evaluate downstream threat vectors.