WSU Data Breach - Class Action Lawsuit

Lawsuit claims WSU was negligent with data

Washington State University faces a class-action lawsuit over allegations that its negligence led to a burglary that put the names, Social Security numbers, health records and other personal data of nearly 1.2 million people at risk.

Earlier this year WSU had a backup hard drive containing confidential information, including Social Security numbers, from more than 1 million people. The hard drive was stored in a $126-a-month, 8-by-10 self-storage locker in Olympia, inside a $159, 86-pound safe that you can buy at Home Depot.

This burglary and data breach occurred in April 2017. The alleged negligence of WSU in failing to secure the personal data of 1.2 million people is the foundation of the class-action suit.