500K Students’ Identities Stolen in San Diego School District Breach

A phishing scam has led to the unauthorized access of more than 500,000 students’ identifying information in the San Diego Unified School District. Through emails sent to staff members of the school district, an outsider was able to gain staff members’ login credentials and view students’ profiles. Phishing scams like this one are all too common. By masquerading as an official email from a verified source, outsiders can trick recipients into all manner of sensitive activities, from changing passwords and account numbers to transferring funds to paying phony invoices. In this case, the emails likely required staff members to verify their usernames and passwords. The phishing attack is believed to have been carried out between January and November of this year, but school system officials first became aware of it in October. However, the credentials gave the unauthorized person access to student records dating all the way back to the 2008-2009 school year. Impacted individuals are being notified by letter from the school system, and the current investigation has already identified someone believed to be responsible. Officials have not determined whether or not any of the data was actually stolen or used, but it was certainly possible to steal complete identities from the activity that occurred; therefore, they are treating this incident as a data breach. There are some important takeaways from this news. The first is that sharing your information with outsiders can result in the loss of that data. If you are not absolutely legally required to turn over your complete identity or that of your children, don’t. If you are required to provide it, ask who will be able to access it and how it will be protected. In the case of the school system, even base-level staff members were able to view details like birthdates and Social Security numbers, something that they didn’t need. Also, if you receive a notification letter that your information has been breached, it’s vitally important that you take note of what data was compromised and what steps the company is taking to make it right. If the company is offering credit monitoring or identity monitoring, don’t delay. Sign up for that support immediately to take advantage of the protection. Finally, since this incident involves children’s personally identifiable information, parents and guardians must be cautious about their children’s identities. Too many young people only discover they’ve been victimized this way when they become adults and attempt to get a job, enlist in the military, apply for financial aid, or other similar actions. Parents can freeze their children’s credit reports to reduce the chances that someone will use their information maliciously. Contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. For on-the-go assistance, check out the free ID Theft Help App from ITRC.

Read next: The 2018 Impact of Data Breaches and Cybercrime