School Software Hack: Student Data at Risk?

Think of a big school software supplier, or maybe even one you use. Now imagine it got hacked, and some personal details were taken. That's just what happened. PowerSchool, a cloud-based platform for schools, got breached on December 28. Someone swiped two tables from their student info system, which held names, addresses, and other information from families and teachers. PowerSchool claims they paid the thief to delete the data, and it seems no further harm is expected. Schools in Northwest Indiana using PowerSchool like Portage Township, Crown Point, and Hanover Central are facing this issue. These schools depend on such software to keep parents in the loop about grades, attendance, and other stuff. PowerSchool serves 60 million students in the US and Canada. While Northwest Indiana schools assure parents it's still safe, they're taking extra steps to check their security. They're also observing PowerSchool's investigation, looking into if more details were taken. Some districts are even bringing in their own cybersecurity pros to stay on top of things. PowerSchool promises full support, including credit monitoring and identity protection services. This breach mainly affected demographic data, and PowerSchool resets passwords to tighten security. Schools point out no financial data was kept in PowerSchool, so the impact might be less severe.