Skip to main content
IT Service Status
IT Service Status

Report An Information Security Incident

Information security incidents are events that give someone access to sensitive information (personally identifiable details, passwords, academic, health, or financial records) without permission.

Update on MOVEit Cybersecurity Attack

Northwestern University is closely monitoring a recent cybersecurity attack targeting a widely used software tool (MOVEit) that has affected numerous organizations worldwide. MOVEit is not a tool in use for any campus system, and with close examination and monitoring, we have no indication that any Northwestern system was affected. Nevertheless, this attack has affected the systems of several of our service providers, who have let us know that their investigations are ongoing. At this time, we do not know the scope of the potential impact on the Northwestern community. The University takes the privacy and security of our community members seriously. Our cybersecurity and privacy teams are working with our service providers to determine if and what University information might be impacted. We will update this website or provide other notifications to the Northwestern University community as more information becomes available.

Until we know more, we encourage all students, faculty, and staff to follow the tips for securing your identity.

For more information on identity theft, we recommend visiting the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Guide at www.identitytheft.gov.

If you suspect a security incident has occurred

Immediately contact your school or department, local technical support staff or the Northwestern IT Service Desk
  • Call the Northwestern IT Service Desk at 847-491-4357 (1-HELP)
  • Email Northwestern IT Information Security Office at security@northwestern.edu 

Any incidents involving online harassment or physical theft of a device should be reported to University Police.

Examples of Security Incidents

  • Someone accessed your account in CAESAR and changed your class schedule or loan information.
  • You replied to an unsolicited email that asked for your NetID, password, or other personal information and then suspected it could be a scam. (See Reporting a Phishing Email section on this page.)
  • A file containing Social Security numbers was accidentally sent to the wrong recipient. 
  • A laptop containing unencrypted sensitive research data was lost.

Reporting a Phishing Email

To fully investigate your issue, please forward the entire email message you received, which includes both the body of the message and the full email header, to security@northwestern.edu. Please follow these instructions to view the full header in the Knowledge Base.

Before reporting the suspicious email, please review the list of recent phishing messages reported at Northwestern to see if your issue is already a known issue. You may also wish to review best practices to protect yourself from these scams.

Remember, these are only a few examples of information security incidents. If you feel threatened, in danger, or if a crime was committed, immediately contact University Police.