Dartmouth Data Breach Exposes 40,000+ in Clop Ransomware Attack

Dartmouth College has confirmed a significant data breach affecting more than 40,000 individuals after the Russian ransomware group Clop claimed responsibility for the attack and posted stolen data on its dark web leak site.

The Breach

The breach, which occurred through a third-party vendor vulnerability, exposed sensitive personal information belonging to students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the Ivy League institution. Clop added Dartmouth to its list of victims and has released data to pressure the university.

According to The Dartmouth student newspaper, the breach notification reveals the compromised data may include:

• Names and contact information
• Social Security numbers
• Financial information
• Academic records
• Employment data

The full scope of affected individuals—over 40,000—indicates the breach reached deep into Dartmouth's administrative systems.

Clop's Education Sector Targeting

Clop has established itself as one of the most prolific ransomware operations targeting higher education. The group's 2023 MOVEit campaign alone affected hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide.

Educational institutions present attractive targets for several reasons:

Data Richness: Universities maintain extensive records on students, employees, alumni, and donors spanning decades.

Research Value: Academic institutions often hold valuable intellectual property and research data.

Complex IT Environments: Large universities operate sprawling networks with numerous third-party integrations.

Resource Constraints: Higher education security budgets often lag behind the private sector.

Third-Party Risk Strikes Again

While Dartmouth has not disclosed the specific vector, Clop's operational history suggests the breach likely stemmed from a vulnerable third-party vendor or file transfer application.

The group has exploited vulnerabilities in:

• MOVEit Transfer (CVE-2023-34362)
• Fortra GoAnywhere (CVE-2023-0669)
• Accellion FTA

These supply chain attacks allow Clop to compromise numerous downstream victims through a single vulnerability—a highly efficient model that has proven devastatingly effective.

University's Response

Dartmouth is providing affected individuals with breach notification letters and offering credit monitoring services. The university has engaged cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident and assess the full impact.

Higher education institutions affected by Clop typically face difficult decisions about ransom payment. Paying may encourage further attacks, but refusing can result in sensitive student and employee data being published publicly.

What Affected Individuals Should Do

If you're a current or former Dartmouth student, employee, or affiliate:

1. Watch for official communications through verified Dartmouth channels
2. Enroll in offered credit monitoring if available
3. Place fraud alerts with credit bureaus if SSN was exposed
4. Monitor financial accounts for unauthorized activity
5. Be wary of phishing using stolen Dartmouth data

Clop and other threat actors often use stolen data to craft convincing phishing emails. Any communication about the breach requesting urgent action or personal information should be verified directly with Dartmouth.

The Ongoing Education Sector Crisis

The Dartmouth breach continues a troubling trend for higher education cybersecurity. In 2025 alone, major breaches affected:

• University of Phoenix (3.5 million records)
• Multiple community colleges through Oracle Cloud compromises
• State university systems across the country

Educational institutions need to reassess third-party vendor security, implement zero-trust architectures, and increase investment in security operations. The data they protect belongs to students who may feel impacts of breaches for decades.

Regulatory Implications

Dartmouth's breach will trigger notification requirements under multiple state data protection laws. The university may also face scrutiny under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regarding the protection of student educational records.

Class action litigation typically follows breaches of this scale, particularly when Social Security numbers are involved.

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Dartmouth is the latest in a long line of universities targeted by Clop. The breach underscores the urgent need for higher education institutions to address third-party risk and modernize their security postures before they become the next victim.