PowerSchool, a widely used software serving thousands of K–12 schools in the United States, has suffered a major cybersecurity breach.
The Breach has left several schools worried about the potential exposure of critical student and faculty data. With over 45 million users relying on the platform, the breach raises serious concerns about data security in the United States' educational system.
PowerSchool is a cloud-based software platform used by several schools to manage student information, grades, attendance, and contact with parents. The breach reportedly occurred through one of its customer support portals, when fraudsters gained unauthorised access using compromised credentials.
Magnitude of the data breach
According to PowerSchool, the leaked data consists mainly of contact details such as names and addresses. However, certain school districts' databases might have included more sensitive data, such as Social Security numbers, medical information, and other personally identifiable information.
The company has informed users that the breach did not impact any other PowerSchool products, although the exact scope of the exposure is still being assessed.
"We have taken all appropriate steps to prevent the data involved from further unauthorised access or misuse," PowerSchool said in response to the incident, as reported by Valley News Live. “We are equipped to conduct a thorough notification process to all impacted individuals.”
Additionally, the firm has promised to keep helping law enforcement in their efforts to determine how the breach occurred and who might be accountable.
Ongoing investigation and response
Cybersecurity experts have already begun to investigate the hack, and both PowerSchool and local authorities are attempting to determine the exact scope of the incident.
As the investigation continues, many people are pushing for stronger security measures to protect sensitive data in the educational sector, especially as more institutions rely on cloud-based systems for day-to-day activities.
According to Valley News Live, PowerSchool has expressed their commitment to resolving the situation, saying, "We are deeply concerned by this incident and are doing everything we can to support the affected districts and families.”
