A notorious cybercrime group, ShinyHunters, has claimed to have breached Oracle PeopleSoft servers at more than 100 organizations, many of which are universities. The hackers reportedly stole sensitive student records including home addresses, phone numbers, emails and dates of birth.

The breaches follow a pattern of mass hacks by ShinyHunters, who exploit vulnerabilities in popular software to compromise multiple victims simultaneously. Their latest target is concerning for educational institutions that often handle significant amounts of personal data.

Speaking through a TechCrunch journalist, a member of the group revealed their original goal was to compromise an FBI PeopleSoft server as part of a broader attempt to deny involvement in recent swatting incidents. However, this attempt failed and they focused on hitting educational institutions instead.

The stolen data could be used for identity theft or other malicious purposes. Institutions affected should review their cybersecurity measures urgently and inform relevant students and staff.

While Oracle did not respond to a request for comment, the incident highlights the ongoing threat of cybercrime groups like ShinyHunters, who continue to pose significant risks to data security across multiple sectors.