Columbia University and Others Disclose Breaches
At McShane & Brady, we wanted to make everyone aware of some the most recent data breaches. If you or someone you know who may have been affected by these or any other breaches, please call our office at 816-888-8010 or use our contact form on our website. We want to hold those entrusted with protecting our private information responsible.
Columbia University
Columbia University has had a cyberattack affecting over 870,000 students, applicants and employees.
On June 24, 2025, Columbia University became aware of suspicious activity within its information technology systems.
According to the data breach notice sent to affected individuals and state attorney general offices, the investigation found that an unauthorized actor gained access to Columbia University’s network on or around May 16, 2025.
On August 5, Columbia University confirmed that actors without authorization accessed data on students and applicants, including admissions, enrollment, and financial aid files, as well as some employee personal information.
Connex Credit Union
Connex Credit Union is one of Connecticut’s largest credit unions with 8 branch locations around the New Haven area. It has filed a notice of data breach that has affected over 172,000 people, according to the Office of Maine Attorney General.
According to the notice of data incident report, “Connex experienced unusual activity in its cyber environment on June 3, 2025, and immediately started an investigation using independent experts to assist. The investigation revealed that certain files may have been accessed or downloaded without authorization between June 2 and 3, 2025.”
Information potentially affected include names, account numbers, debit card information, Social Security numbers, and/or other government ID used to open the individual’s account.
Alera
Alera is an Illinois based brokerage firm that works with employers, businesses and consumers to obtain various types of insurance coverage. They are notifying nearly 156,000 people that their protected health information has been compromised. The incident was first announced on May 21, 2025, and has recently been reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights.
According to Alera, “On April 28, Alera Group confirmed that personal information may have been removed from its network as the result of unauthorized access to the Alera Group technology environment that occurred between July 19, 2024, and Aug. 4, 2024”
Information affected may include name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license, financial account or credit card information, passport and other government-issued identification such as taxpayer ID or state ID.
Kokomo24/7
Kokomo24/7, a technology vendor that works with the Los Angeles Unified School District, has suffered a major data breach.
On Dec. 11, 2024, Kokomo Solutions discovered unusual activity on its network. Personal information disclosed may include names, addresses, contact information, Social Security numbers, driver’s license or state ID numbers, and medical or health information.
Notification letters about the Kokomo24/7 data breach are now being mailed to those affected.
It is unknown how many have been affected by his breach.
If you receive notification of these breaches or any other data breaches, we ask that you call our office at 816-888-8010 or email us at firm@mcshanebradylaw.com.
From hospitals, healthcare providers, government services, service providers to insurance companies, proper precautions and training have not been made to secure these records. Once public, your information is out there for everyone to see. McShane & Brady is leading firm representing those who have affected by a data breach.