Hackers Steal Data on 5.7 Million California Students in ETS Breach
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 29
Hackers Steal Data on 5.7 Million California Students in ETS Breach
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 29
Summary
Records tied to millions of current and former California public school students were copied from Educational Testing Service, with stolen data including names, birth dates, home addresses, disability details and test results.
Investigators said the attacker used a compromised login credential to enter an ETS secure file-transfer site and copy files repeatedly between May 22 and Sept. 18; ETS detected the activity on Sept. 25 and took the system offline.
California said the breach covers students enrolled during the past three school years and some former students dating back to 2006 whose transfers were never confirmed, meaning affected people may now live anywhere in the US.
ETS said no Social Security numbers, bank details, passwords or parent information were exposed, and it has found no evidence the stolen files have been publicly posted.
Notifications began Oct. 16 and run into early November, while ETS is offering 24 months of free identity-protection services and California reviews the contractor's security compliance.
Why were California student records dating back to 2006 still reachable when one compromised ETS login exposed data for months?
What exactly was taken from millions of California student assessment records, and how could it affect children and former students now living elsewhere?