820,000 New York Public School Students’ Data Compromised

NYC school officials want their software provider investigated for allegedly misleading them about its data security protocols.

820,000 New York Public School Students’ Data Compromised

New York — The personal information of about 820,000 current and former New York City public school students has been compromised in a data hack.

The district’s online grading system and attendance system were hacked in January, reports NBC New York, but the city’s Department of Education was not notified of the breach until Friday, reports NY1.com.

Chancellor David Banks is urging the state education department to investigate software company Illuminate Education, alleging the company misled the district, telling school officials that safeguards were in place when they weren’t.

Illuminate Education has several software programs used by New York City Public Schools.

The information that was accessed by the hackers includes demographic data, academic information, and economic profiles, reports NY1.com. Banks said that there isn’t evidence any fraudulent activity has happened related to the breach. Social Security numbers, family financial information, and individual education plans were not compromised during the hack.

The hack could be one of the largest breaches of student data in U.S. history, and district officials are in the process of notifying victims.

The New York Police Department, FBI, and New York Attorney General’s Office are all investigating the hackers.

If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!

About the Author

robin hattersley headshot
Contact:

Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.

Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century

This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Our Newsletters
Campus Safety Conference promo