San Diego Unified student medical data compromised in breach - The San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego Unified students’ medical data compromised in October cybersecurity breach, school district says
The district did not say how many students had been notified or affected, whether staff data may also have been compromised and how security measures have been enhanced.
BY LAURYN SCHROEDER
MAY 19, 2023 5:42 PM PT
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An October data breach of San Diego Unified School District’s network involved students’ medical information, the district told families in a letter sent this month.
Dennis Monahan, executive director of risk services for the district, said an investigation into the breach has revealed that the names and medical information of students were compromised.
Staff and students were issued new passwords.
San Diego Unified officials first notified families of the incident in early December, saying a third party had accessed some of its systems on Oct. 25.
District officials said staff quickly secured the network, launched an investigation and notified law enforcement. No safety or emergency mechanisms were impacted.
Monahan said officials have implemented additional security measures to enhance its network protocols.
Maureen Magee, a district spokesperson, said this week that the investigation is ongoing and the district is working to notify those affected as it identifies them.
The district did not respond to questions about how many students had been affected or sent the letter, whether staff data may also have been compromised and how its security measures have been enhanced.
The breach was neither the first nor the last to threaten California schools in recent months.
A ransomware attack targeting the Los Angeles Unified School District in September prompted an unprecedented shutdown of its computer systems in September. The district required its some 540,000 students and 70,000 district employees to change their passwords after the attack.
And in February, a cybersecurity incident caused a massive systems outage in one South County district. The Sweetwater Union High School District said at the time that no students’ data appeared to have been compromised, but it was still investigating whether staff data may have been.
The district did not say how many students had been notified or affected, whether staff data may also have been compromised and how security measures have been enhanced.
BY LAURYN SCHROEDER
MAY 19, 2023 5:42 PM PT
Show more sharing options
An October data breach of San Diego Unified School District’s network involved students’ medical information, the district told families in a letter sent this month.
Dennis Monahan, executive director of risk services for the district, said an investigation into the breach has revealed that the names and medical information of students were compromised.
Staff and students were issued new passwords.
San Diego Unified officials first notified families of the incident in early December, saying a third party had accessed some of its systems on Oct. 25.
District officials said staff quickly secured the network, launched an investigation and notified law enforcement. No safety or emergency mechanisms were impacted.
Monahan said officials have implemented additional security measures to enhance its network protocols.
Maureen Magee, a district spokesperson, said this week that the investigation is ongoing and the district is working to notify those affected as it identifies them.
The district did not respond to questions about how many students had been affected or sent the letter, whether staff data may also have been compromised and how its security measures have been enhanced.
The breach was neither the first nor the last to threaten California schools in recent months.
A ransomware attack targeting the Los Angeles Unified School District in September prompted an unprecedented shutdown of its computer systems in September. The district required its some 540,000 students and 70,000 district employees to change their passwords after the attack.
And in February, a cybersecurity incident caused a massive systems outage in one South County district. The Sweetwater Union High School District said at the time that no students’ data appeared to have been compromised, but it was still investigating whether staff data may have been.
