Class Action Claims Whitworth University Failed to Prevent Data Breach Affecting 65K Students

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A proposed class action lawsuit accuses Whitworth University, a private Christian liberal arts school in Washington, of failing to protect current and former students’ personal data from a cyberattack in July 2022.

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According to the 36-page lawsuit, an unauthorized third party gained access to the university’s network on July 29 of that year, compromising the private information of 65,593 students. The suit relays that the data exposed in the breach included, without limitation, individuals’ full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, health information and student ID and passport numbers.

The case argues that Whitworth University failed to implement proper data security measures to safeguard students’ personal information, leaving “significant vulnerabilities in its systems for cybercriminals to exploit.”

After the breach was discovered, a subsequent investigation revealed that the university’s cybersecurity systems were “completely inadequate” and enabled unauthorized actors to access a “treasure trove” of thousands of individuals’ sensitive data, the complaint charges.

What’s more, the defendant waited nearly a full year before it began notifying victims of the breach, the filing claims.

Though the school has apparently offered impacted individuals several months of complimentary credit monitoring, the lawsuit contends that this gesture fails to sufficiently address the “lifelong harm” victims now face as a result of Whitworth University’s negligence.

The plaintiff, a Washington resident and former student, received notice from the school that his private information had been compromised in the breach, the suit says. Like other victims, the man now faces an increased risk of identity theft, fraud and other illegal schemes because his personal data has been exposed to cybercriminals, the case alleges.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States whose personal and/or financial information was exposed to unauthorized third parties as a result of the data breach experienced by Whitworth University on July 29, 2022.

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