DENVER (KDVR) — A ransomware attack may have compromised the personal data of a range of Colorado students — from high schoolers to adult learners — and the breach affects some who attended school as far back as 2004.
Teachers may also have been impacted, according to the Colorado Department of Education, which announced the extent of the breach on Friday.
“Over the past few weeks, the investigation has revealed that some of the impacted records include names and social security numbers or student identification numbers, as well as other education records,” the department said in a release.
The attacker accessed the department’s systems from June 11-19 and copied data, according to the release. While the investigation is ongoing, these groups may have been affected:
- Attended a public institution of higher education in Colorado between 2007-2020
- Attended a Colorado public high school between 2004-2020
- Individuals with a Colorado K-12 public school educator license between 2010-2014
- Participated in the Dependent Tuition Assistance Program from 2009-2013
- Participated in Colorado Department of Education’s Adult Education Initiatives programs between 2013-2017
- Obtained a GED between 2007-2011
The higher education department said it’s reviewing policies and procedures and is working to strengthen its cybersecurity systems. Impacted people are also offered complimentary access to credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Experian for two years.
Anyone with questions on this incident can call the state’s designated hotline at (833) 301-1346 between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mountain Time, Saturday and Sunday (excluding U.S. holidays).
