The affected database was accessed on Sunday and was taken offline within 24 hours of the hack, according to a university statement. The database contained about 400,000 records, but the university said records for only 449 people were confirmed to have been accessed.
University spokesman Jason Cody said the hacker or hackers sent an email to the university and “there was an attempt to extort money.” He added that the university didn’t pay any money and didn’t lose access to any affected records.
Cody said the email helped the university identify the breach and that he isn’t sure if there was additional communication from the hacker or hackers.