School district security breach affects 15,500 students
Student names, ID numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, whether they qualified for free or reduced-price meals and in some cases Social Security numbers were among the information put at risk during a recent security breach at the Eugene School District in Oregon.
Data for 15,500 students were compromised when someone, using a district computer, gained unauthorized access to those files through a program that links student records with the student meals program.
Some students’ Social Security numbers were included, and the district is in the process of compiling a list of those students. Other students’ Social Security numbers were not compromised because the district has stopped asking for them in recent years, said a district spokesperson.
“With the investigation just starting, we don’t have all the details,” she added.
Parents can email or call the district office to find out whether their child’s Social Security number was among the data potentially stolen.
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