Schools collect a significant amount of staff and student data for various operational purposes. Aside from your child’s grades and schoolwork, schools also keep their personal data and contact information on record. With school cyberattacks becoming more common, this data can be compromised if not securely stored since cybercriminals target personal information that they can steal and use for identity theft.

Find out what a school data breach is and why it happens, what schools should do to prevent your child’s sensitive information from being stolen, and what service you can rely on to play your part in your child’s data protection.

What Is a School Data Breach?

A school data breach occurs when sensitive student or staff information stored on a school’s network or servers is accessed or stolen by unauthorized individuals. This information may include:

• Personal details like names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers (SSNs)
• Students’ grades, test scores, disciplinary records, and other academic information
• School financial data, such as library fees, lunch balances, and tuition payments

Why Do School Data Breaches Happen?

School data breaches happen in various ways, often due to vulnerabilities in a school’s digital infrastructure. Staff and students often lack training on security best practices, which can lead to jeopardizing data. Common issues that can cause vulnerability to data breaches include weak passwords, phishing emails, unencrypted devices, and unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Data breaches can occur as a result of any of the following:

1. Outdated software
2. Weak passwords
3. Phishing emails
4. Lost or stolen devices
5. Ransomware attacks
6. Third-party vendor breaches

Outdated Software

Some schools use older operating systems and software, either because of insufficient funding or lack of expertise. However, older systems are more prone to security flaws that haven’t been patched. Hackers can gain access through these unfixed vulnerabilities, so modernizing infrastructure and keeping software up to date is crucial.

Weak Passwords

Simple or reused passwords are easily cracked. If a staff member uses a weak password and their school account gets broken into, that one password is all hackers need to access all the sensitive information available in the school’s database to authorized users. Enforcing strong, unique passwords for all accounts and enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) helps prevent unauthorized access.

Phishing Emails

Phishing emails with malicious links or attachments are a common cyberattack method. If a school staff member clicks on a suspicious link or downloads an infected attachment, it can secretly install malware to steal data or take control of the system. Conducting phishing simulation tests reduces the risk of a successful phishing attack.

Lost or Stolen Devices

Laptops, tablets, and USB drives that contain unencrypted sensitive data can be a liability if lost or stolen. Encrypting any important files that you store on your devices can help ensure the data can’t be accessed by unauthorized individuals in case of physical theft or loss.

Ransomware Attacks

Hackers may attack a school’s network with malicious software that encrypts data and holds it hostage until a ransom is paid to decrypt it. Schools are attractive targets since they contain sensitive data and may be more willing to pay to recover it. Schools can reduce the risk of ransomware by employing intrusion detection systems to monitor for signs of unusual activity.

Third-Party Vendor Breaches

Schools frequently share student and staff information with third-party service providers like bus companies, healthcare providers, and education software vendors. If any of those partners experience a breach, school data is compromised as well.

Carefully vetting vendors, limiting access to only necessary data, and ensuring strong security controls in third-party agreements can help reduce this risk.

What Are the Consequences of Data Breaches?

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Data breaches can have serious consequences for schools and students. See the table below for details:

Consequence of Data Breach	What It Entails
Identity theft	Cybercriminals can use stolen personal information to apply for loans, obtain credit cards, or commit other types of fraud in the victim’s name. This can lead to long-term consequences, such as tarnishing the victim’s credit profile
Lawsuits	Affected parties may take legal action against the school for failing to protect data
Damaged reputation	Parents and other stakeholders may lose trust in the school, which could hurt enrollment and funding. Students’ and staff’s reputations may also be at risk if their sensitive information gets exposed
Interrupted education	A data breach can lead to a shutdown of operations, interrupting regular school activities. In some cases, schools may close down temporarily

Notable School District Data Breach Examples

Unfortunately, data breaches involving sensitive student information are becoming more common. Even with privacy laws like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in place, some schools still struggle to properly secure students’ personal data. A few notable examples of major school district data breaches include:

1. Prince George’s County Public Schools, Md.
2. New Haven Public Schools, Conn.
3. Minneapolis Public Schools

Prince George’s County Public Schools, Md.

In August 2023, the Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland announced a data breach impacting about 4,500 users. The attack involved an unauthorized user accessing sensitive data, including students’ and employees’ usernames and passwords. Exercising caution, the school forced a reset of passwords for all employees and students and engaged a specialist to investigate the scope of the breach.

New Haven Public Schools, Conn.

The New Haven school district in Connecticut got hit hard when hackers broke into the email account of the district’s chief operating officer in May 2023. According to the New Haven Register, the district lost over $6 million as a result of the breach. The hackers monitored the COO’s email conversations with vendors and then impersonated both the COO and the vendors. Their goal was to redirect payments meant for the district’s school bus contractor and a law firm to their fraudulent accounts. 

Minneapolis Public Schools

In March 2023, thousands of files purportedly stolen from the Minnesota school district were published on the internet days after a cyber gang announced the school system had missed its deadline to pay a $1 million ransom demand. According to The 74, the files included campus rape cases, child abuse inquiries, student mental health crisis details, and suspension reports. The school ransomware attack began in February and affected many of the district’s systems—from disabling the internet connection within school buildings to disrupting security badge access in the facilities.

How Schools Can Prevent Data Breaches

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Schools can take several precautions to help prevent data breaches and protect students’ sensitive information. Here are four basic security steps schools should take:

1. Conducting regular risk assessments
2. Providing ongoing security training
3. Utilizing advanced security technologies
4. Limiting data collection and sharing

Conducting Regular Risk Assessments

Schools should regularly evaluate their data security practices to identify vulnerabilities. They should assess aspects such as employee access to data, security of servers and networks, strength of passwords, and policies around data use. By understanding weak points in their systems, schools can make targeted improvements to strengthen security.

Providing Ongoing Security Training

All staff handling student data and students should receive frequent training on security best practices, such as using strong passwords, being wary of phishing emails, and reporting suspicious activity. Regular cybersecurity training, simulated phishing campaigns, and reinforcement of data use and storage policies can help reduce the risk of human error and unauthorized access.

Utilizing Advanced Security Technologies

Investing in sophisticated security systems can help schools detect and respond to threats early. Combining multi-factor authentication and firewalls with more advanced security measures like data encryption and breach detection software adds an extra layer of protection for sensitive data. While these technologies often require funding and IT expertise, they’re important tools for combating cybersecurity threats.

Limiting Data Collection and Sharing

Schools should only collect and share the minimum amount of student data needed. Storing and distributing less data reduces the amount of sensitive information that may be compromised if a breach occurs.

Limiting access and being selective about data requests is important on an individual level as well—as a parent, you should do what’s in your power to protect your child’s personal information from potential data breaches.

FreeKick—Reduce the Risk of Identity Fraud and Build Your Child’s Credit

When your child’s personal information is exposed to a data breach, it can damage their financial future. FreeKick helps you protect your child’s personal information as well as your own by offering a combination of services designed to monitor, protect, and restore your family members’ identities.

FreeKick provides a complete identity protection plan that covers up to two parents and six children between the ages of 0 and 25. And there’s more—with FreeKick, parents can also sponsor credit-building services for their children aged 13 to 25, helping them start their financial journey and potentially save up to $200,000 throughout their lifetime.

ID Monitoring Services

To help reduce the chances of child identity theft, FreeKick has implemented security measures specifically tailored for minor children, in addition to enhanced security features for adults:

Services for Adult Children and Parents	Services for Minor Children
Credit profile monitoring SSN monitoring Dark web monitoring for personal information Up to $1 million identity theft insurance Full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration Lost wallet protection Court records monitoring Change of address monitoring Non-credit (Payday) loan monitoring Free FICO® Score monthly FICO® Score factors Experian credit report monthly	Credit profile monitoring SSN monitoring Dark web monitoring for children’s personal information Up to $1 million identity theft insurance Full-service white-glove concierge credit restoration Sex offender monitoring—based on sponsor parent’s address

Every 30 seconds, a child becomes a victim of identity theft. Don’t let your child be a part of the statistics—make a FreeKick account.

Parent-Sponsored Credit Building

FreeKick offers an automated credit-building feature to help your children establish a strong financial foundation from a young age. The best part is that it won’t have any impact on your credit report or score.

To start building your child’s credit, all you have to do is select the “Activate Credit Building” option in your account dashboard when your child turns 13. Once they reach adulthood (age 18 in most states), they need to select “Activate Credit Reporting.”

Once credit reporting is activated, a credit account with a limit of $1,000 will be reported to the three major consumer credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). This report will include important information such as the date the account was opened, the credit amount, the type of credit, and the payment history from the past 24 months.

Here’s a breakdown of how the process works:

1. Create a FreeKick Account—Visit FreeKick.bank and choose the plan that works best for you
2. Set It and Forget It—Once you activate credit building, FreeKick will establish 12 months of credit history for your child through a no-interest installment loan
3. Keep Growing—After the initial 12-month term, you have the option to renew your account to continue boosting your child’s credit profile

FreeKick Pricing

FreeKick has a variety of plans available to fit different budgets. All plans provide premium identity protection for up to two parents and six children, as well as credit building for children aged 13 to 25. All plans are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 to provide extra peace of mind.

The following table provides more detail regarding the pricing:

FDIC-Insured Deposit Amount	Plan Fee
$3,000	$0 (Free)
No deposit	$149/year

Jumpstart your child’s financial future and protect your family’s identities—sign up for FreeKick today.