De La Salle University (DLSU) — 2020 Data Leak

What Happened

On June 28, 2020, the Pinoy Greyhats conducted a data leak targeting De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila. This is a separate incident from the more well-known [2023 DLSU cyberattack](/breaches/dlsu-cyberattack-2023).

DLSU is one of the most prestigious universities in the Philippines. The data leak was part of the broader June 2020 campaign of school website attacks.

What Was Potentially Exposed

As a data leak, compromised data likely included:

• Student personal information
• University records and internal data
• The specific scope of exfiltrated data was not fully disclosed

Why This Breach Matters

• Prestigious universities are not immune — DLSU's brand and resources did not prevent this breach
• Repeat targeting — DLSU would be targeted again in a more severe cyberattack in 2023, raising questions about whether lessons from 2020 were fully implemented
• Data leak severity — unlike defacements, data leaks cause permanent exposure of personal information

Lessons for Schools

1. 1.Learn from past incidents — organizations that experience breaches must implement lasting security improvements to prevent recurrence
2. 2.Investment in security — even well-funded universities need dedicated cybersecurity budgets and staff
3. 3.Incident response planning — having a tested incident response plan enables faster containment and recovery