School boards across six Canadian provinces are scrambling to address the fallout from a recent cyberattack targeting PowerSchool, a widely used educational administration platform. The breach, which occurred between December 19 and 23, 2024, may have exposed sensitive personal information of students, including names, addresses, health card numbers, medical details, and other Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
PowerSchool revealed that hackers exploited a compromised credential to infiltrate its PowerSource portal. The breach accessed data tables within the platform’s Student Information System, which contained student and staff records. In some cases, data also included Social Security Numbers (U.S. equivalent to Social Insurance Numbers), medical records, and limited grade information.
The company claims to have since deleted the stolen data, deactivated the compromised credential, and enhanced its access controls and password protections. However, affected school districts are still working to assess the extent of the damage.
Provinces Affected:
- Alberta: Major school boards, including the Calgary Board of Education and Edmonton’s Catholic School Board, have reported breaches.
- Ontario: Boards across Toronto, Peel, York, and Durham are among those impacted, with the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner confirming additional breaches across Thunder Bay, Lakehead, and several other districts.
- Manitoba: Sixteen school divisions, including Louis Riel and River East Transcona, have notified families of the breach.
- Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island: School districts in the Maritimes have also confirmed exposure of personal data.
The Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner emphasized that while third-party vendors like PowerSchool handle data, accountability for protecting sensitive information ultimately rests with the school boards.
Authorities, including the federal government and cybersecurity experts, are investigating the breach and its implications. Schools continue to work closely with PowerSchool to mitigate risks and address parent concerns.
Source: Swifteradio.com
