A data breach involving PowerSchool, a widely used student information system database, was reported on Dec. 28. However, students and teachers in the Westport public school system received an email on Jan. 9 assuring that they have not been affected.
“While this incident affected certain PowerSchool Student Information System customers,” PowerSchool said, “our thorough forensic investigation has confirmed that your organization’s data was not impacted.”
This breach resulted from the use of a compromised employee credential, and enabled hackers to access sensitive data — social security numbers, phone numbers and medical information. While PowerSchool claims that all data has been deleted, they declined providing evidence to support that.
“The incident is contained,” a PowerSchool spokesperson said. “We do not anticipate the data being shared or made public.”
Westport was fortunate to avoid this cybersecurity incident, but it serves as a reminder that there are constant threats to student and staff data; it is important to stay prepared to address any future threats.
“It truly is a never-ending race to maintain cybersecurity,” Director of Technology Natalie Carrignan said. “If PowerSchool informs us of any additional issues that affect our district, we will notify families using School Messenger.”
There is an increasing amount of reliance on digital learning tools and education. With that comes students’ vulnerability to potential scams or cyber attacks, leaving students unprepared on how to approach that.
“I’ll admit I don’t feel very educated when it comes to identifying sketchy links,” Hayley Epstein ’27 said. “It’s not easy to tell what’s real and what’s not.”
Staples’ librarians have planned a presentation for students on how to digitally protect themselves and their information, through smart cyber security practices. This will take place during all lunch waves on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
“I’ll be sharing helpful general cybersecurity tips for students to start practicing now, as they prepare for college and the workforce,” Carrignan said.
