Clinton Central School Corporation, the Community Schools of Frankfort and Rossville Consolidated School District released a joint release regarding a PowerSchool data breach that may impact information stored from parents at the Clinton County schools.
The districts released a notification for the school communities regarding a nationwide cybersecurity incident that involved PowerSchool, which is the student information system provider utilized by the districts. The breach did not originate from any local district, but rather, the breach originated from PowerSchool’s customer support platform, PowerSource.
On Dec. 28, a breach allowed an unauthorized party to access and export limited student and teacher data from PowerSchool’s systems. The local schools stated that they do not store financial information on PowerSchool, and medical treatment information, photos and student email addresses were not accessed. The compromised data reportedly primarily includes demographic information, such as names and addresses.
PowerSchool reportedly confirmed that the incident was not a ransomware attack but rather a targeted data theft. The company has reportedly worked with third-party cybersecurity experts to mitigate the breach, including engaging CrowdStrike for an investigation and paying a ransom to prevent the stolen data from being shared further. PowerSchool reportedly continues to monitor the dark web to ensure the stolen data is not leaked.
Each impacted school district will provide additional information as it becomes available, including resources to assist families in responding to the incident. Upon notification, the data breach was immediately reported to law enforcement and state officials, and the company is collaborating with authorities to investigate the situation and enhance its security measures.
“We want to assure our communities that safeguarding student and staff information remains a top priority,” the superintendents released jointly. “Our local districts will work closely with PowerSchool to implement any recommended measures to prevent future incidents.”
