A Virginia county prosecutor filed a civil class action lawsuit against Georgetown University on Friday, following a recent data breach that exposed personal information of current and former students.
The breach, which the university reported earlier this week, compromised sensitive data such as Social Security numbers, tax ID numbers, and employee payroll details, as claimed by plaintiff Mary Margaret Cleary.
Cleary, a deputy commonwealth attorney for Culpeper County and a 2014 Georgetown graduate, deferred comment on the lawsuit to her attorneys at Lowey Dannenberg, who did not respond to inquiries. Georgetown’s spokesperson also did not provide immediate comments regarding the lawsuit.
According to Doug Little, Georgetown’s chief information officer, the breach lasted approximately 24 hours and allowed 29 current or recent students to access the sensitive information.
Little clarified that the breach resulted from an “inadvertent setting change” rather than an external attack or security compromise. He stated that the university had contacted those who accessed the data and instructed them to delete any information obtained.
Cleary’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, stating that she has experienced anxiety and stress due to concerns over the increased risk of financial fraud, identity theft, and other financial harms linked to the stolen data.
