Moody Bible Institute (MBI) says it is investigating claims that its systems were breached after the institution appeared on the dark web extortion site operated by the ShinyHunters threat group, which alleges it stole more than 23 GB of sensitive data from the Chicago-based Christian higher education organization.
In a statement shared with CyberInsider, Moody Bible Institute confirmed it is aware of the claim and has launched an investigation.
“The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago is aware of a claim of data breach in our system. We have engaged with our cyber security experts to investigate the validity and/or impact of this claim. We will provide more information as they become available.” – Moody Bible Institute
At this stage, the institution has not confirmed that a breach occurred, and the claims made by the threat actor remain unverified.
According to a posting on the ShinyHunters leak site, the group claims to have obtained approximately 23 GB of data comprising roughly 1,300 files and “tens of millions of records.” The threat actor alleges the exposed information spans multiple institutional systems, including enrollment, donor relations, payroll, and communications platforms.
The post specifically references data allegedly sourced from systems and databases including MBI, EDC, Salesforce leads, PeopleSoft communications records, Horizon SIS, WHPD donor databases, and Cadence admissions systems. ShinyHunters further claims the dataset contains approximately 46 million communication records, 2.2 million enrollment lead records, and more than 108,000 biographical records containing personal details such as addresses and birth dates.
Founded in 1886, Moody Bible Institute is a private evangelical Christian institution headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The organization operates a college and seminary, publishes educational and religious content, and serves students, alumni, donors, and ministry partners across the United States and internationally.
ShinyHunters has been linked to numerous high-profile data theft and extortion incidents in recent years, frequently using stolen data as leverage to pressure victims into paying ransoms.
Moody Bible Institute said it is working with cybersecurity specialists to determine the validity and potential impact of the claim. Further details are expected once the investigation progresses.
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