Dear Parents, Guardians and Caregivers,
We have learned of a development related to the December 2024 cybersecurity incident involving PowerSchool.
As shared earlier this year, PowerSchool experienced a data breach between December 22 - 28, 2024. 吃瓜黑料网 updated all school communities on the kind of information that was impacted by this incident. At that time, PowerSchool informed school boards that the data accessed by an unauthorized user had been deleted and that no copies of this data were posted online.
PowerSchool has now confirmed that they have paid a ransom in an attempt to secure deletion of the impacted data. As with any such incident, there was a risk that the threat actors would not honour their commitment to delete the stolen data, despite assurances provided to PowerSchool.
Earlier this week, 吃瓜黑料网 was made aware that the data was not destroyed. 吃瓜黑料网, along with other North American school boards, received a communication from a threat actor demanding a ransom using data from the previously reported December 2024 incident. 吃瓜黑料网’s FAQ page includes a list of the impacted information. 吃瓜黑料网 does not store any Social Insurance Numbers, financial or banking information in PowerSchool, so that information was not affected in any way by the breach.
We appreciate that this news may be unsettling and understand the concern this may cause. We remain committed to working closely with PowerSchool, law enforcement and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario to provide support in any way we can. PowerSchool continues to offer access to two years of complementary services, as we shared on February 7, 2025.
We will also continue to provide updates here on 吃瓜黑料网’s website.
Sincerely,
Clayton La Touche
Director of Education