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North Texas school districts warned after PowerSchool data breach exposes student information

North Texas school districts warned after data breach exposes student information
North Texas school districts warned after data breach exposes student information 02:13

NORTH TEXAS — A technology company used by many school districts, including some here in North Texas, has been impacted by a data breach. 

PowerSchool stores sensitive student information. On its website, PowerSchool states that it serves more than 90 of the top 100 U.S. districts by student enrollment. This includes Dallas ISD. 

Now, the district has notified parents about a potential data breach in the student tracking software. 

"It's an incredibly big deal," cyber security expert and Vistrada Director of Cyber Security Matt Malone said. "There are 50 million records that were taken and these are of children's data, including social security numbers, as well as educators, so this could lead to a lot of damage." 

PowerSchool said it became aware of a potential cybersecurity incident in late December and that some personally identifiable information like social security numbers and medical information was involved. 

It's now investigating and coordinating with districts and schools to provide more information as it becomes available and resources like credit monitoring or identity protection services if needed.

Malone said it appears PowerSchool didn't have enough security protocols in place. 

"The problem with this is there were social security numbers involved of children and those children may not notice their credit for years," he said. 

Malone said it is important to monitor your child's credit. Especially, since more of these types of attacks are expected in the future. 

"The AI is getting better on building out attack vectors," he said. "You're getting AI to do social engineering techniques better. It's definitely worsening in escalation and in the cyber security industry, it is rapidly taking off."

A spokesperson for Dallas ISD said there's no evidence to show that any of the district's data was compromised; however, they recommend:

  • Reporting any suspicious activity to the district's Information Security team 
  • Be cautious of phishing and social engineering. Be vigilant about unexpected emails or calls requesting personal or school information. 
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