Florida student-aid breach potentially affects 4.9 million people
Florida education officials say a financial-aid website breach may have exposed personal information; the investigation remains ongoing.
The Florida Department of Education says a breach involving its student financial-aid website may have affected approximately 4.9 million people. The department became aware of the intrusion on October 19 and says it contained the unauthorized activity.
Potentially exposed information includes names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, contact details and gender identification codes. The department cautions that not everyone was necessarily affected and that the information involved may differ between individuals.
The department has not disclosed how the attackers obtained access or who was responsible. Florida Digital Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are assisting with the response.
The department says current financial aid is not at risk and that its disbursements, tuition payments and eligibility decisions are unaffected. It has cautioned that some websites and online services may experience temporary disruptions as remediation continues.
Sources
- Data BreachPrimaryFlorida Department of Education
- Florida Student Aid Website Hack Puts Data of 4.9 Million People at RiskSupportingSecurityWeek
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