Minnesota Department of Education hit by cybersecurity attack, 95,000+ students' data breached

MINNEAPOLIS -- Hackers have breached Minnesota Department of Education data, obtaining information on tens of thousands of students, the majority of which are in the state's foster care system.

The department said they had been notified of a potential vulnerability in their file transfer software MOVEit on May 31, and 24 files were breached that same day.

The files contained information of 95,000 students placed in foster care throughout the state, including their demographic information, names, dates of birth, and county of placement. 

Other information accessed includes similar demographic data on 124 students who qualified for Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer, 29 students taking PSEO classes at Hennepin Technical College, and five students who took a particular Minneapolis Public School bus route.

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MDE says no financial information was obtained during the breach. The department says they are working to notify individuals.

The breach is part of a global cyberattack on MOVEit, attributed to the Russian hacker group Clop, who are also suspected of targeting the BBC, British Airways, the Nova Scotia Government, and the University of Rochester.

So far, there have been no ransom demands, and the information has not been shared online, MDE said. Officials including the FBI, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Office of the Legislative Auditor are investigating the incident.

The MDE is encouraging anyone potentially impacted to take precautionary measures like monitoring personal credit reports.

Earlier this year the Minneapolis Public Schools were hit by a cybersecurity attack in which private information was posted to the dark web, including social security numbers.

RELATED: Emails from Minneapolis Public School officials reveal timeline of data breach

The MDE has set up a data breach website, which you can access here.