R3 Education, the parent company of three medical universities located in the Caribbean, this week notified 7,785 students and staff about a November 2023 data breach that compromised their names, Social Security numbers, and other private information.
R3 acknowledged a ransomware attack encrypted its systems took place on November 7, 2023. No cybercriminal group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of time of writing.
For students, compromised information might include: name, Social Security number, driver’s license, passport information, medical/health information, signature, date of birth, and student identification.
For employees, the personal information might include: name, date of birth, email address, physical address, financial account information, phone number, and Social Security number.
We don’t yet know whether R3 paid the ransom or how much it was, nor how attackers breached R3’s systems. Comparitech contacted R3 for more information and will update this article if it responds.
Comparitech recommends victims take advantage of the free credit monitoring and ID theft protection offered by R3 via TransUnion. Monitor your credit report and account statements for suspicious activity.
Ransomware attacks on education
In addition to data theft, ransomware attacks can cripple key systems, forcing schools to cancel classes and pay high recovery costs.
Comparitech has logged 18 confirmed attacks on US education sector this year so far, affecting 24,054 records. We recorded 107 in 2023, affecting 2,040,763 records.
Other recent attacks on schools and universities include Center Line Public Schools in Michigan, Webber International University, the Association of California School Administrators, the Township of Union School District in New Jersey, American International University, Virginia Union University, Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, Lee University, and Traverse City Area Schools.
About R3 education
Officially headquartered in Devens, Massachusetts, R3 Education is the parent company of Saba University School of Medicine in the Caribbean Netherlands, Medical University of the Americas in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine in the Cayman Islands.
In total, the three schools enroll more than 5,000 students, according to external sources.