Published on: July 11, 2024
The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) was on the receiving end of a cyber attack last month that left some student and teacher data compromised.
The state education department thwarted hackers from accessing all targeted servers in an attempt to lock down its computer system. However, the cybercriminals managed to access some data and disrupt services before the department’s information system staff could stop the attack.
Superintendent Eric Mackey revealed the news of the attack at a news conference, highlighting that all services have now been restored since, and that the department has implemented additional cybersecurity protocols.
Mackey said the department is working to determine the extent of the data breach and that the investigation is still ongoing.
The breached data may include personally identifiable information like names, addresses, and Social Security numbers. This data can be exploited in identity theft schemes, so educators are advised to monitor their credit as a precaution.
“We don’t know exactly what data was breached and we can’t disclose everything,” Mackey said. “But again, the attack on our system was interrupted and stopped by our IT professionals before the hackers could access everything they were after. That we know.”
According to Mackey, financial information, such as credit card numbers or bank routing numbers, isn’t stored in the ALSDE system, so the possibility of hackers stealing that information is low. However, people “should assume that there is a possibility that some of their data was compromised.”
Mackey noted that once the compromised data is identified, affected individuals will be notified according to legal requirements and best practices.
“The department immediately began working with state and federal law enforcement, the Alabama Attorney General, the Alabama Office of Information Technology, and an independent contractor known for anti-hacking expertise to strengthen our cyber defenses and assess the compromised data,” Mackey said.