Asbury Seminary Ransomware Attack Affects 15,560 Individuals

Asbury Theological Seminary recently disclosed a significant data breach affecting thousands of individuals. On February 19, 2025, the Seminary discovered that unauthorized access to its network environment had occurred between June 1, 2024, and June 6, 2024. The breach potentially exposed sensitive personal information belonging to approximately 15,560 individuals across the United States.

The information compromised in this incident includes personally identifiable information such as names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and dates of birth.

The Seminary first detected the unauthorized access on June 6, 2024, and immediately secured its environment. Following this discovery, Asbury Seminary initiated a thorough investigation with the assistance of external cybersecurity experts. The investigation involved extensive forensic analysis and manual document reviews. It was determined that the unauthorized actor potentially accessed or acquired sensitive personal information during the period from June 1, 2024, to June 6, 2024.

Asbury Theological Seminary reported the breach to multiple state Attorney General offices, including the Maine Attorney General on March 16, 2025, the Massachusetts Attorney General on March 11, 2025, the Texas Attorney General on March 11, 2025, and the Vermont Attorney General on March 12, 2025.

In total, the breach affected approximately 15,560 people across the United States.

The reported number of affected individuals varies by state:

• Texas: 888 individuals
• Maine: 22 individuals
• Massachusetts: 55 individuals

You can view the official disclosures on the websites of the Maine Attorney General, Texas Attorney General, Massachusetts Attorney General, and Vermont Attorney General.

These disclosures come after the ransomware group, FOG, claimed to have hacked the company by making a post on the Dark Web on June 24, 2024.

Asbury Theological Seminary's response

Upon discovering the breach, Asbury Theological Seminary took steps to secure its network environment, preventing further unauthorized access. The Seminary engaged external cybersecurity professionals to conduct a thorough forensic investigation and manual review of affected documents.

Asbury Theological Seminary notified affected individuals by written letters sent via U.S. Mail on March 10, 2025. The notification letters provided detailed information about the breach and guidance on how affected individuals can protect themselves.

To help safeguard affected individuals from potential identity theft or fraud, Asbury Theological Seminary is offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services through Experian IdentityWorks Credit 3B. This service provides identity protection, credit monitoring, and identity restoration assistance.

Affected individuals are encouraged to activate their complimentary Experian IdentityWorks membership, which includes:

• Credit monitoring across Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
• Identity restoration assistance
• Daily credit reports (online members only)
• Identity theft insurance covering certain costs and unauthorized electronic fund transfers

Additionally, the Seminary recommends that affected individuals consider placing a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit files and regularly monitor their financial statements and credit reports for suspicious activities.

What you can do to protect yourself

If you were affected by this data breach, it is important to take proactive steps to protect your identity and financial information:

• Activate the complimentary Experian IdentityWorks credit monitoring membership provided by Asbury Theological Seminary.
• Place a fraud alert on your credit files by contacting Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion.
• Consider placing a security freeze on your credit report to prevent unauthorized access.
• Regularly review your financial account statements and credit reports for suspicious activity.
• Obtain your free annual credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com and review them carefully.

For more details on how to protect yourself, you can visit the Federal Trade Commission's identity theft prevention resources.