PROVIDENCE – A data breach earlier this year at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has reportedly impacted more than 75,000 people and led to a lawsuit being filed.
According to the national law firm Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP on June 19, the firm is investigating claims on behalf of those who were impacted by the breach at UMass Dartmouth. The firm said the university announced that personal information from both current and former students in UMass Dartmouth’s database “may have been stolen” in a breach that occurred “in early 2025.”
Wolf Haldenstein says UMass Dartmouth is notifying affected people that their personal information, including names, Social Security numbers, financial account and payment card information and driver’s license numbers “may have been stolen.”
“If you have received a recent notice of the data breach and have experienced recent concerning activity, it is possible that your personal information was compromised and is being offered for sale on the dark web,” Wolf Halfenstein said. The firm is also encouraging those impacted by the breach to immediately call 800-575-0735 or email
gstone@whafh.com.
UMass Dartmouth Vice Chancellor of Administration and Facilities David Gingerella noted in a letter to those possibly impacted by the breach that was filed with the commonwealth that confirms a “data security event” had occurred. The university is offering impacted individuals free credit and identity protection via IdentiyWorks, Gingerella said, and the university “deeply regret[s] any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause and take[s] this matter seriously.”
UMass Dartmouth spokesperson Ryan Merrill declined comment to Providence Business News on Thursday about the breach, citing "pending litigation." According to multiple media reports, including MassLive, Matthew Miller and others filed a class-action lawsuit against the university claiming UMass Dartmouth did not notify people of the data breach until months after it was discovered.
The plaintiffs are reportedly seeking damages and requiring UMass Dartmouth to provide more data protection, among other relief.
This is the latest in a string of significant data breaches that occurred locally within the past year, the second coming within education. Last September, the
Providence Public School District suffered a breach where a “unverified anonymous group” claimed it obtained PPSD files from the district’s digital network.
Three months later, Rhode Island state officials announced
a cyberattack occurred with the RIBridges public benefits computer system, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. The ransomware group Brain Cipher claimed responsibility for the attach, which led to
class-action lawsuits being filed. An
investigation revealed Brain Cipher first infiltrated the RI Bridges system on July 2, 2024, via a Deloitte employee’s VPN account, months before the breach was identified.
Earlier this month, United Natural Foods Inc., a Providence-based wholesale distributor that supplies Whole Foods and other grocers,
suffered a breach of its systems, disrupting its ability to fulfill orders, leaving many stores without certain items.
(UPDATED 6th paragraph to include comment from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth spokesperson Ryan Merrill.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
