Data from hundreds of thousands of N.L. students breached in PowerSchool cyberattack

By: The Canadian Press Posted:

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ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Data belonging to hundreds of thousands of Newfoundland and Labrador students was breached in a cyberattack targeting an information system used by schools across the country.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/01/2025 (572 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Data belonging to hundreds of thousands of Newfoundland and Labrador students was breached in a cyberattack targeting an information system used by schools across the country.

The province’s Education Department says personal information from about 271,000 students was accessed in the attack on the PowerSchool platform, which is owned by a U.S.-based company.

The data includes names, birthdays and health card numbers of students as far back as 1995.

Data belonging to hundreds of thousands of Newfoundland and Labrador students was breached in a cyberattack on a student information system used by schools across the country. A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 in this photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
Data belonging to hundreds of thousands of Newfoundland and Labrador students was breached in a cyberattack on a student information system used by schools across the country. A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 in this photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

About 75 per cent of the records belong to people who are no longer in the K-12 school system.

Data belonging to about 14,400 teachers was also breached, and it includes names, addresses and 749 social insurance numbers.

Earlier this month, PowerSchool told school boards in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta and elsewhere that it had experienced a data breach between Dec. 22-28.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.

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A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 in this photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
U.S. man sentenced to prison over data breach that included Canadian students' info
Hands type on a computer keyboard in Toronto in this Sunday, Oct. 9 photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

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