Alvin Independent School District data breach exposed personal information of over 47,000 individuals

Texas-based Alvin Independent School District said a data security incident it suffered last year compromised the sensitive personal information of more than 47,000 individuals.

 

Based in Houston, Texas, Alvin Independent School District enrols more than 27,000 students and employs more than 3,000 staff. It includes four high schools, nine junior high schools, and 21 elementary schools.

 

In a data security incident notice, AISD said that on June 13, the school district suffered a significant data security incident where an unauthorised threat actor infiltrated its internal network and accessed confidential data.

 

The school district immediately launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident. It also took steps to secure the affected systems and notified relevant law enforcement authorities about the same.

 

“This incident caused interruptions to certain internal computer systems. We acted quickly to address the situation and have been working with third-party computer specialists to investigate the source and impact of the interruption,” AISD said.

 

In a filing with the Office of Attorney General of Texas on May 2, the school district said that the sensitive personal information of its students and staff was compromised during the incident. The affected data included names, Social Security Numbers, driver’s License numbers, Government-issued ID numbers including passport details, state ID cards, account numbers, credit and debit card numbers, medical information, and health insurance information.

 

The filing with the Texas state regulator also states that at least 47,606 individuals were impacted by the incident.

 

AISD has, however, confirmed that “all systems have been restored and are fully functional.

 

“At this time, all indications suggest that the impact on our system has been minimal,” the school district added.

 

 

In July, the infamous Fog ransomware group claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on AISD and listed it as a victim on its data leak site.The group claimed to be in possession of 60GB of confidential data stolen from the school district and threatened to release it unless its ransom demands were met.