A ransomware gang breached the University of Hawaii Cancer Center’s Epidemiology Division in August 2025, stealing data for nearly 1.2 million individuals. Compromised files included names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license and voter registration records from historical research datasets, prompting UH to notify affected people and pay the attackers for a decryption tool while asserting the incident was isolated to research systems. #UniversityOfHawaii #UHCancerCenter
Keypoints
- The breach occurred in August 2025 and targeted the UH Cancer Center’s Epidemiology Division.
- Attackers stole data for nearly 1.2 million people, including SSNs and driver’s license numbers.
- UH notified 87,493 MEC Study participants and located contact details for roughly 900,000 additional individuals.
- Compromised systems were encrypted, and UH paid the attackers for a decryption tool and claimed the data’s secure destruction.
- University officials say clinical operations and student records were not affected and the incident was isolated to research systems.