• PowerSchool Cybersecurity Incident December 2024

     

    PowerSchool reported that unauthorized access was detected on their end on December 28th. Once PowerSchool became aware of this incident, they immediately activated their cybersecurity response protocols and engaged experts to assess and address the situation.

     

    Several parents have shared a message regarding an offer from PowerSchool for credit monitoring following the incident on December 28th. These emails are legitimate. The emails come from PS-sis-incident@mail1.csid.com. "CSID.com" is Experian's email domain. PowerSchool hired Experian to handle the offers for credit monitoring.

     

    What Data Was Affected: The accessed data for our district included:

    • For students and families: Demographic information such as student ID number, contact details, address, race, gender, and date of birth.
    • For educators: Demographic information such as name, email, and home or school phone number.

    Please note that Social Security numbers are NOT stored in PowerSchool and were not part of this incident in our district. An Experian credit monitoring offer is being extended to all affected districts, regardless of whether or not they store Social Security numbers.

    We understand that incidents like this can be concerning, and we sincerely apologize for any distress or inconvenience this may have caused. While this incident occurred on PowerSchool’s end, please know that they have taken immediate action to address the situation and ensure the security of your information moving forward.

    How to find out if you were affected by a security breach

     

    Enroll in Experian's "Identity Works" product. https://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/notice-of-united-states-data-breach/    If you are an educator use the over-18 option 1. If you have a child under the age of 18, use option 2. Write down the pink activation code and click the pink "Enroll now" button. PowerSchool is offering Identity Works for free until May 30, 2025. 

    Once you are enrolled, run the Internet Surveillance report in Experian's Identity Works.

    Note that the report identifies any security breach. Your data could have been taken from a hospital/medical, income tax, employment, or other database (not just PowerSchool).

     

    What to do if you or your child are affected by a security breach

     

    1. Don't panic. :-)

    2. Call Experian at 1-888-397-3742 (1-888-EXPERIAN). A robot will prompt you through the process of putting a fraud alert on your credit report for all 3 credit agencies. Note that the robot asks for a social security number up front. This is because a fraud alert is linked to a specific SSN. The bot will also ask a few simple questions, such as your zip code and house number.

    3. You can verify that a fraud alert has been put on your credit report by running a credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. Choose the Experian credit agency. (It takes a few days for the other 2 agencies to post).

    The fraud alert is at the bottom of your credit report, and reads something like this: "ID SECURITY ALERT: FRAUDULENT APPLICATIONS MAY BE SUBMITTED IN MY NAME OR MY IDENTITY MAY HAVEBEEN USED WITHOUT MY CONSENT TO FRAUDULENTLY OBTAIN GOODS OR SERVICES. DO NOT EXTEND CREDIT WITHOUT FIRST VERIFYING THE IDENTITY OF THE APPLICANT. I CAN BE REACHED AT 845-XXX-XXXX. THIS SECURITY ALERT WILL BE MAINTAINED FOR 1 YEAR BEGINNING 03-04-25".

     

    4. Here are additional steps recommended by Experian:

    • Place a freeze on your credit file at all three credit bureaus--Experian®, TransUnion® & Equifax®.
    • Review your credit report from all three bureaus and report any activity you don’t recognize. Request a copy of your latest credit reports by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com.
    • Review resources available at the Social Security Administration online by visiting SSA.Gov/Fraud
    • Monitor your credit card and bank accounts for suspicious transactions and notify the financial institution if you notice anything suspicious.

     

    Still need assistance? Email us for more help!