Nelnet loan service data breach: What you should know 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 22, 2022) — A student loan servicing technology, Nelnet Servicing, reported a data breach exposing personal information of students with loans from Oklahoma Student Loan Authority (OSLA) and EdFinancial. While this breach is not involved with any University of Kentucky systems, UK Information Technology Services (UK ITS) would like to make students aware of the potential implications of this breach. 

What happened? 

Further investigation of the Nelnet Services breach indicates that student loan information of over 2.5 million individuals was exposed. This information includes full name, physical address, email address, phone number and Social Security number. It did not include financial information. 

What does this mean for me? 

If you were impacted by this breach, it means that bad actors could use your information for subsequent attacks like phishing, social engineering, impersonation and various scamming schemes. If your information was exposed by this breach, you should have received a notification from OSLA or EdFinancial. 

What should I do? 

UK ITS recommends remaining diligent in protecting yourself from identity fraud and to be closely monitoring bank accounts and financial statements. Enabling two-factor authentication for any accounts that offer it is strongly encouraged. Regularly checking credit reports is also advised. 

For more information about this breach see the Maine Attorney General’s filing of the Data Breach Notification. UK ITS has cybersecurity education resources available at http://its.uky.edu/cybersafe. Those interested in learning more about different types of cybersecurity attacks can visit www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber.   

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.