BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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A southern Manitoba school division has issued an update after a cybersecurity breach compromised student information from multiple Manitoba school divisions.
“We are writing to provide an update about the cybersecurity incident that PowerSchool, our student information system (SIS) provider, recently experienced,” said Hanover School Division (HSD) Superintendent and CEO Joe Thiessen in a letter sent to parents and guardians.
HSD is one of more than 20 Manitoba school divisions currently using PowerSchool, a web-based student management system used in school divisions across North America.
In December, PowerSchool informed school divisions using the system that it had fallen victim to a cyber-attack that compromised student scores and family information across the province, and the continent.
Thiessen confirmed in his letter that an investigation launched into the breach continues, while the division is carrying out its own internal investigation. The division issued an update due to concerns throughout the community about the nature of the information that had been compromised.
“Based on our own investigation to date of the information stored in our Student Information System, we can advise that no parent/guardian, staff, or student Social Insurance Number (SIN), banking, or credit card information has been identified as stored in our SIS,” Thiessen said in the letter.
While PowerSchool has advised that its investigation is still ongoing, it has provided additional details and next steps, including the announcement they will offer two years of complimentary identity protection services to all students and educators whose information was involved.
Despite the fact that HSD disclosed that no financial or banking information was compromised in the community, PowerSchool will also offer two years of complimentary credit monitoring services to all students and educators involved that have reached the age of majority.
Starting in the next few weeks, PowerSchool will provide notice to students, parents, guardians and educators involved in the data-breach, including a phone number they can call with any questions regarding the incident. The notice will include the identity protection and credit monitoring services that are now being offered.
PowerSchool is also currently in the process of notifying Canadian regulators about the incident. HSD says they have already notified the Manitoba Ombudsman.
The division is also promising to keep parents updated as investigations into the breach continue. “We await additional details from PowerSchool about the findings of its investigations, the information involved in this incident, and the timing of the notices it will send,” Thiessen said. “We will provide you with a further update on this when available. Rest assured that when we have details to share, we are committed to sharing them.
“In the Hanover School Division, we take cybersecurity and protecting information seriously. We will post updates about the PowerSchool cybersecurity incident on our website.”
According to HSD, there continues to be no operational impacts on the division and its schools as a result of the breach. PowerSchool has assured them that the incident has been contained.
— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
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