A major data breach at Ontario schools has revealed sensitive information dating back decades, raising serious privacy concerns.
Toronto: So, there’s been a pretty big data breach affecting schools in Ontario. It looks like sensitive info from students all the way back to 1985 has been compromised. That’s a long time!
The software involved is from PowerSchool, which many school boards across North America use. They had a breach last year, and it seems some personal info got accessed. Yikes!
Schools in Ontario, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia are all trying to figure out just how bad this is. The Toronto District School Board mentioned that data for students from 1985 to 2017 might be part of this mess. This includes health card numbers and home addresses.
And it doesn’t stop there. They’re also worried about medical info and notes from principals for students from 2017 to December 2024. That’s a lot of sensitive stuff floating around!
In York Region, they found that staff and student info dating back to 2005 was also involved. Overall, 19 school boards in Ontario have been affected. It’s a big deal!
PowerSchool said the breach happened through one of their customer portals. They did reach out to their clients on January 7, letting them know who was impacted.
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is pretty concerned about this whole situation. They emphasized that organizations need to protect personal information, especially when it comes to kids. It’s crucial!
This breach happened over Christmas, between December 22 and 28. So, it’s been a rough start to the new year for many schools.
