1.2 Million Affected by University of Hawaii Cancer Center Data Breach

"The extensiveness of the encryption by the threat actors made it difficult to restore the affected systems and assess the compromised data. The university engaged with the threat actors to protect the individuals whose sensitive information may have been compromised, and obtained a decryption tool and ensured the destruction of exfiltrated data."

"Most of the compromised data was associated with a study established in 1993, as part of which more than 215,000 people were recruited between 1993 and 1996. The records of 87,493 study participants were compromised in the attack, including names, Social Security numbers, and for some participants, research-related and health information."

"There was no impact to information held by the UH Cancer Center's Clinical Trials operations, patient care, or any other divisions of the UH Cancer Center. There was no impact on UH student records. University of Hawaiʻi is providing the impacted individuals with 12 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft services."

On August 31, 2025, the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center experienced a ransomware attack affecting servers supporting research operations. Approximately 1.2 million individuals had personal information compromised, including names, Social Security numbers, driver's license details, and voter registration records. The attack primarily impacted data from a 1993 study with over 215,000 recruited participants, with 87,493 study participant records affected. Clinical operations, patient care, and student records remained unaffected. The university engaged with threat actors, obtained a decryption tool, and ensured destruction of exfiltrated data. Affected individuals receive 12 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft services. Investigation continues with law enforcement and cybersecurity expert support.

Read at SecurityWeek