PowerSchool Confirms Major Data Breach Exposing Student and Teacher Data
Education technology leader PowerSchool has disclosed that hackers accessed highly sensitive student and teacher information—including Social Security numbers, academic records, and medical data—during a December 2023 cyberattack.
What Data Was Compromised?
According to an internal FAQ obtained by TechCrunch, the breach exposed:
- Student information: Social Security numbers, grades, medical records
- Teacher data: Personally identifiable information (PII)
- Parent/guardian details: Names, phone numbers, email addresses
PowerSchool confirmed the breach affected its school information system, which thousands of K-12 institutions use to manage:
- Student records
- Attendance tracking
- Grade management
- Enrollment systems
How the Breach Occurred
The attackers gained access through:
- Compromised credentials for PowerSchool’s customer support portal
- Unauthorized access to sensitive databases
- Potential exfiltration of varied data types depending on school district
Company Response and Investigation
PowerSchool, the largest U.S. provider of cloud-based K-12 education software, has revealed:
- Engaged cybersecurity firm CyberSteward for incident response
- Confirmed this was not a ransomware attack but an extortion attempt
- Paid an undisclosed sum to prevent data publication
“We’ve taken all appropriate steps to prevent further misuse and believe the data has been deleted,” stated PowerSchool spokesperson Beth Keebler.
Scale of the Impact
While exact numbers remain undisclosed:
- PowerSchool serves 18,000+ institutions
- Supports over 60 million students across North America
- Data exposure varies by school district
Ongoing Concerns
Key unresolved questions include:
- No confirmation of data deletion evidence
- Unclear total number of affected individuals
- Potential long-term risks for identity theft
PowerSchool was acquired by Bain Capital in 2024 for $5.6 billion. The private equity firm declined to comment on the breach.
TechCrunch continues to investigate this developing story. Have information about the PowerSchool breach? Contact reporter Carly Page securely via Signal (+44 1536 853968) or email ([email protected]).
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