In what could become one of the biggest data breaches of 2024, PowerSchool, a major U.S. edtech company, was hacked late last year. The breach, confirmed in early January, exposed sensitive information tied to millions of students across the country. Despite the gravity of the situation, PowerSchool is keeping tight-lipped about key details, leaving schools and families in the dark.

PowerSchool, which serves over 18,000 schools and 60 million students, revealed that hackers gained access to its PowerSource customer portal using stolen credentials. From there, the attackers moved into PowerSchool SIS, a system schools rely on to manage student records, grades, attendance, and more. While the company has acknowledged the breach, it’s refusing to answer pressing questions about the scale of the attack and its aftermath.

For instance, PowerSchool hasn’t disclosed how many schools or students were affected, though reports suggest the impact could be massive. Some school districts, like Toronto’s TDSB and California’s Menlo Park City School District, have confirmed that decades of student and staff data were accessed. This includes highly sensitive details like Social Security numbers, grades, medical information, and even parental restraining orders.

The company also hasn’t clarified whether it paid a ransom to the hackers, though it’s widely suspected. While PowerSchool claims the stolen data has likely been deleted, it won’t share evidence to back up this claim. This lack of transparency has left schools scrambling to piece together the full extent of the breach on their own.

With so many unanswered questions, schools and parents are left wondering just how much of their data is now in the hands of cybercriminals. As the investigation continues, the education community is calling for more transparency from PowerSchool to ensure the safety of students’ personal information.

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