TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Education, headquartered in Tallahassee, said Thursday that criminals broke into its student financial aid website, and the break-in may reach nearly 5 million people. Personal data, including Social Security numbers, was exposed.
Department staff found the intrusion on Oct. 19, according to the agency’s Oct. 29 announcement. The problem centers on FloridaStudentFinancialAidSG.org, and officials believe it did not spread past that site. The agency said it turned on its cyber response plan, shut down the activity and locked down its systems, though some of its online services may be spotty while that work goes on.
Students should not see any change to the aid they are getting now, the department said. Tuition and aid payments will go out on time, and eligibility for state scholarships, grants and loans is not affected.
The agency has alerted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Attorney General’s Office, the latter as required under Florida Statute 501.171, and is working with the Florida Digital Service on the response. It has also set up a web page on the breach and takes questions at [email protected].
The case follows a September breach that hit the state’s driver license agency, Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. People who think their data was taken can watch bank and credit accounts, pull free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, think about a fraud alert or credit freeze, and use the Federal Trade Commission’s help at identitytheft.gov.
Section: More Tallahassee FL education news
Filed under: Tallahassee FL Education News
