NYC Schools Data Breach: What & How It Happened?
Twingate Team
•
Jun 14, 2024
Following a series of data breaches, the New York City Education Department has instituted stricter cybersecurity protocols to safeguard student information. These steps include enhanced vetting of software vendors, restricted email access, and the centralization of communications under a singular Education Department domain. Illuminate, a former software vendor, was involved in a significant breach that impacted a large number of students. This breach took place between late December 2021 and early January 2022, though the precise month and year of the incident are not explicitly stated in the available sources.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to over 1 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included students' names, dates of birth, ethnicity, academic records, and school enrollment.
How was NYC Schools hacked?
Attackers breached the New York City Department of Education's systems through a former software vendor, compromising personal data of over 1 million students. The exact methods used by the hackers remain unclear, but the department has since severed ties with the vendor and implemented stronger cybersecurity protocols to prevent future incidents.
NYC Schools's solution
In response to the hack, the New York City Education Department took several measures to enhance its cybersecurity and prevent future incidents. These steps included increasing the vetting of software vendors, tightening email access for schools and parent leaders, and moving communications under a centrally managed Education Department domain. The department also notified parent leaders of a plan to shut down shared email accounts for parent groups to reduce the chances of a breach. Additionally, the DOE implemented a comprehensive security compliance process to ensure that companies accessing student information comply with privacy laws. The exact timeline and further specifics about the breach remain unclear.
How do I know if I was affected?
It is not clear whether NYC Schools reached out to affected users. If you believe you may have been affected and haven't received a notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check your credentials.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for any accounts that may have been affected. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on any affected accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
For more specific help and instructions related to the NYC Schools data breach, please contact NYC Schools Support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the NYC Schools data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
NYC Schools Data Breach: What & How It Happened?
Twingate Team
•
Jun 14, 2024
Following a series of data breaches, the New York City Education Department has instituted stricter cybersecurity protocols to safeguard student information. These steps include enhanced vetting of software vendors, restricted email access, and the centralization of communications under a singular Education Department domain. Illuminate, a former software vendor, was involved in a significant breach that impacted a large number of students. This breach took place between late December 2021 and early January 2022, though the precise month and year of the incident are not explicitly stated in the available sources.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to over 1 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included students' names, dates of birth, ethnicity, academic records, and school enrollment.
How was NYC Schools hacked?
Attackers breached the New York City Department of Education's systems through a former software vendor, compromising personal data of over 1 million students. The exact methods used by the hackers remain unclear, but the department has since severed ties with the vendor and implemented stronger cybersecurity protocols to prevent future incidents.
NYC Schools's solution
In response to the hack, the New York City Education Department took several measures to enhance its cybersecurity and prevent future incidents. These steps included increasing the vetting of software vendors, tightening email access for schools and parent leaders, and moving communications under a centrally managed Education Department domain. The department also notified parent leaders of a plan to shut down shared email accounts for parent groups to reduce the chances of a breach. Additionally, the DOE implemented a comprehensive security compliance process to ensure that companies accessing student information comply with privacy laws. The exact timeline and further specifics about the breach remain unclear.
How do I know if I was affected?
It is not clear whether NYC Schools reached out to affected users. If you believe you may have been affected and haven't received a notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check your credentials.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for any accounts that may have been affected. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on any affected accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
For more specific help and instructions related to the NYC Schools data breach, please contact NYC Schools Support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the NYC Schools data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
NYC Schools Data Breach: What & How It Happened?
Twingate Team
•
Jun 14, 2024
Following a series of data breaches, the New York City Education Department has instituted stricter cybersecurity protocols to safeguard student information. These steps include enhanced vetting of software vendors, restricted email access, and the centralization of communications under a singular Education Department domain. Illuminate, a former software vendor, was involved in a significant breach that impacted a large number of students. This breach took place between late December 2021 and early January 2022, though the precise month and year of the incident are not explicitly stated in the available sources.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to over 1 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included students' names, dates of birth, ethnicity, academic records, and school enrollment.
How was NYC Schools hacked?
Attackers breached the New York City Department of Education's systems through a former software vendor, compromising personal data of over 1 million students. The exact methods used by the hackers remain unclear, but the department has since severed ties with the vendor and implemented stronger cybersecurity protocols to prevent future incidents.
NYC Schools's solution
In response to the hack, the New York City Education Department took several measures to enhance its cybersecurity and prevent future incidents. These steps included increasing the vetting of software vendors, tightening email access for schools and parent leaders, and moving communications under a centrally managed Education Department domain. The department also notified parent leaders of a plan to shut down shared email accounts for parent groups to reduce the chances of a breach. Additionally, the DOE implemented a comprehensive security compliance process to ensure that companies accessing student information comply with privacy laws. The exact timeline and further specifics about the breach remain unclear.
How do I know if I was affected?
It is not clear whether NYC Schools reached out to affected users. If you believe you may have been affected and haven't received a notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check your credentials.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for any accounts that may have been affected. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on any affected accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
For more specific help and instructions related to the NYC Schools data breach, please contact NYC Schools Support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the NYC Schools data breach, check out the following news articles:
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