How hackers gained access to Minnesota Department of Education data
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A massive cybersecurity breach has exposed the data of government agencies and millions of Americans. The Minnesota Department of Education says it was one of the victims of the hack.
The breach at the MDE happened just three months after a leak rocked Minneapolis Public Schools. Officials say the latest hack is part of a larger effort happening around the world, believed to be committed by Russian cybercriminals, exploiting a data transfer program called Move It.
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"The problem is that this application had a vulnerability embedded inside of it that no one realized, and now we're seeing the clients of this vendor being hit by cyber attacks," said Mark Lanterman, chief technology officer at Computer Forensic Services.
The MDE says personal information of more than 95,000 students was exposed, but no financial information. However, that doesn't mean it won't have a financial impact at some point
"This data has no expiration date. Okay, so your child may be a minor today. But in two years, maybe not. And maybe your child's information will be used to commit financial fraud, identity theft, down the road," said Lanterman.
The Minnesota Department of Education recommends accessing and monitoring your personal credit reports.
RELATED: Emails from Minneapolis Public School officials reveal timeline of data breach
To learn more, and sign up for free credit monitoring if you're impacted, click here.