PowerSchool Data Breach: Sensitive Personal Information of Millions Compromised Globally – What You Need to Know

About PowerSchool

PowerSchool, a global leader in cloud-based software for K-12 education, provides tools to support school administration, teaching, learning, and student information management. Used by over 60 million students and 18,000 educational customers in more than 90 countries, this breach highlights the critical need for robust data protection and privacy measures in schools.

What happened: Facts of the Case

On December 28, 2024, PowerSchool announced that a malicious actor gained unauthorized access to their global data systems through compromised credentials. This breach occurred via the PowerSource remote support tool between December 19, 2024, and December 28, 2024, resulting in the sensitive personal information of students, staff, and families across multiple countries being compromised.

PowerSchool said that it will be notifying all impacted individuals in the coming weeks. They will also be providing free credit monitoring for affected adults and identity protection services for affected minors, in accordance with regulatory and contractual requirements.

Residual Risks and Data Misuse: Given the nature and unpredictability of such entities, there is no absolute guarantee that the data will not be misused or sold. it would be imprudent to assume otherwise. 

Ensure Compliance with Data Protection Laws: Despite this being a breach by PowerSchool, schools remain ultimately accountable. Schools must demonstrate compliance with their jurisdiction’s data protection laws regarding data breach requirements to avoid further legal violations.

Pristine Privacy Consulting Pte Ltd is a leading boutique data protection and privacy specialist in the education sector and international schools across Asia. We have extensive experience helping international schools globally develop their data protection and privacy programs, conduct risk assessments, provide compliance training, plan for incident response, handle data incidents and breaches, and liaise with data protection authorities. We can help your school adopt best practices and meet the required legal obligations in your country.

Contact us

If you’d like to discuss this or any other data protection and privacy matters, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

  1. https://www.randolph.k12.ma.us/news/1802130/cybersecurity-memorandum-powerschool-data-breach ↩︎
  2. https://www.fastcompany.com/91257984/powerschool-data-security-breach-hackers-steal-student-social-security-numbers-medical-information-what-to-know ↩︎
  3. https://www.nbc26.com/suamico/school-district-claims-software-company-paid-ransom-after-cybersecurity-breach#google_vignette ↩︎
  4. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/powerschool-pays-ransom-data-leak/ ↩︎