Simon Fraser University

Profile narrative

Simon Fraser University, also known as SFU, is a public research university headquartered in Canada. It provides higher education services, including undergraduate and graduate study, academic research, and university administration. Its scope includes serving current and former students, applicants, faculty, staff, and the wider university community. The organisation operates in the post-secondary education sector and maintains academic, admissions, and employment-related information as part of its institutional functions. The available incident information indicates that SFU has a substantial community footprint, with a 2021 cyberattack affecting personal information for approximately 200,000 current and former students, faculty, staff, and applicants. A prior ransomware attack reportedly affected around 250,000 community members, showing that the university’s digital environment supports a large user base.

SFU’s distinguishing attribute is its role as a Canadian public research university rather than a commercial technology provider, regulator, or government agency. Its core activities centre on education delivery, research, and the operation of services needed to support students and employees. The known cyber incident involved a compromised server containing student and employee ID numbers alongside academic or admissions data. Financial details and passwords were not reported as exposed in that incident. University IT staff isolated the affected server after discovery, and affected individuals were advised to monitor accounts for unusual activity despite the assessed low identity theft risk. The provided information does not identify a parent company, ownership group, or subsidiary structure for SFU.

Incidents

1 incident linked to this organisation.