By: Mario Mancini

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) has disclosed a significant data breach that has affected thousands of students and staff members. According to officials, approximately 45,000 students, along with school employees and service providers, have been impacted, The NY Post explained.

The breach resulted in the compromise of sensitive information, including social security numbers, dates of birth, employee IDs, and OSIS numbers, which are unique nine-digit identifiers issued to all students attending public schools in the city. The DOE stated that around 19,000 documents were accessed through the file transfer system MOVEit, with 9,000 Social Security numbers being stolen. The compromised documents consisted of student evaluations, progress reports, Medicaid reports, and records related to employee leave statuses.

In response to the breach, DOE spokesperson Nathaniel Styer emphasized the importance of safeguarding personal information and data. He explained that the security vulnerability was identified in MOVEit, a third-party file-sharing software widely used by private and government entities worldwide. The DOE promptly collaborated with NYC Cyber Command and took immediate steps to remediate the situation. An internal investigation confirmed the impact on certain DOE files.

It appears that MOVEit has been targeted in a global hacking campaign, with vulnerabilities leading to intrusions in various organizations, including the U.S. Department of Energy and federal agencies. The DOE is working closely with the NYPD and FBI in their investigations into the breach.

While parents have not yet been directly notified of the breach, the DOE plans to begin notifying individuals whose information was compromised during the summer. The number of staff members affected has not been immediately disclosed. The DOE assured that no education department data has been publicly published as a result of the breach and stated that there is currently no reason to believe that unauthorized access to DOE systems is ongoing.

To mitigate the impact, individuals impacted by the breach will be offered access to an identity monitoring service. The Council of Supervisors and Administrators Union has been in communication with the Chancellor’s team to address the situation and ensure necessary actions are taken to protect the affected individuals and their families.

This incident marks another security breach in the city’s public school system. In January 2022, the personal data of approximately 820,000 current and former students was compromised in a breach of Illuminate Education, a software company used by the DOE to track grades and attendance. The breach involved unauthorized access to students’ names, birthdays, ethnicities, and information related to English-speaking ability, special education, and free-lunch statuses. The DOE subsequently banned the vendor following the incident.

Meanwhile in other news pertaining to NY schools, a disgusting pervert got busted recently according to the NY Post.

A math teacher filmed an 11-year-old boy in a bathroom stall and sexually abused him at a leadership program held at the prestigious all-boys Regis High School in the Upper East Side, according to disturbing court filings.

The school never reported the abuse by vile pig Matthew Chicas and instead tried to suppress it, Lopez also claimed, adding that her son reported the alleged abuse to another teacher at the school, according to the filing.