Description

Sensitive data belonging to millions of students and educators was compromised in a significant data breach involving PowerSchool, a software provider for over 16,000 K-12 schools globally. The breach targeted the PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS), enabling attackers to access personal details, including names, contact information, birth dates, medical records, Social Security numbers, and more. According to the Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD), the attackers gained access through a compromised credential tied to a maintenance account, allowing them extensive access to sensitive data. PowerSchool collaborated with CyberSteward in negotiations with the attackers, reportedly paying a ransom in an effort to secure the deletion of the stolen data. However, the breach has had widespread consequences, impacting thousands of school districts across the U.S. and Canada. For example, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) reported that data dating back to 1985 was stolen, affecting approximately 1.5 million students. The attackers extracted information from around 150 unique fields per student and 97 fields per staff member, with estimates suggesting that up to 72 million individuals were affected. Although PowerSchool has not confirmed the full scope of the incident, it is believed that over 2.7 million records were compromised. In response, the company is offering two years of complimentary identity theft protection to those impacted, even if their Social Security numbers were not included in the stolen data. PowerSchool is now facing multiple lawsuits, with many aspects of the breach still under investigation. Key unanswered questions remain, such as the identity of the hackers and the exact method used to obtain the compromised credentials.