Santa Monica College Data Breach
The 2026 Santa Monica College data breach occurred when employee W‑2 tax forms were emailed to two former student workers. The Santa Monica Community College District has not publicly disclosed the total number of employees affected.
The organization has not published how many were affected, so the incident cannot be placed on this scale.
Exposed Data Types
2- Names
- Social security numbers
About This Breach
Santa Monica College is a public community college in California. The incident did not arise from student or academic records; it involved employee tax documents sent to unintended recipients.
How Did the Incident Occur?
The college determined on May 14, 2026 that employee W‑2 forms had been sent to two former student workers and launched an internal review. The review found that the information was subject to unauthorized access from April 13 through May 21. The college confirmed that the email was deleted and said it found no evidence that either recipient misused the information.
What Information Was Affected?
According to the official notice, the affected information included employees' first and last names and Social Security numbers. Other fields that may appear on W‑2 documents have not been added to the disclosed data scope.
How Did Santa Monica College Respond?
The college investigated the scope of the incident, reviewed its data-protection policies and procedures, and implemented additional safeguards. Notice recipients were offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity-protection services.
What Should Affected People Do?
Notice recipients should review credit reports and financial accounts for unfamiliar activity. People whose Social Security numbers were involved may consider a free credit freeze or fraud alert. Unexpected links or information requests referring to the college, tax forms, or payroll should be verified through the institution's known official channels.
Verification and editorial method
LeakData compares the incident name, date, affected-record count, and exposed data types with accessible sources. Unverified fields are not presented as facts, and records are updated when new evidence becomes available.
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