On Tuesday evening, February 21st, the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) discovered a breach of its student database, exposing the names, emails, and student identification numbers of over 130,000 students. Though the leak was uploaded to the dark web, officials have confirmed that no sensitive information like addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, or grades were compromised.

LBUSD spokesperson Chris Eftychiou reassured parents that the student information system remains secure and that the district is taking every precaution to ensure more sensitive information is not compromised in the future.
Eftychiou said, “We will continue working to implement new features within our internal network to limit the capabilities of bad actors who look to gain notoriety through breaching sensitive data.”

Parents were informed of the breach in an email sent on February 25th and offered assurances that students are safe.

How School Districts Can Prevent Data Breaches

Chris Close, a cyber security expert from Cyber Sleuth Security Washington, DC, has shared his top tips for school districts to prevent data breaches. When asked what can be done to protect their data, Chris was clear: "The most important thing school districts can do is educate their staff. All staff should be trained on data security best practices and how to spot and respond to potential security threats."

He further added that school districts should have a comprehensive security policy in place that covers all aspects of data security. This policy should be regularly updated to ensure it is up to date with the latest security threats. Additionally, school districts should invest in a robust data security system that includes firewalls, antivirus, and malware protection.

Chris's advice to school districts when it comes to data security? "Take it seriously and make it a priority. Invest in the necessary resources and training to ensure your data is secure. Be proactive in monitoring your data and responding to potential threats, and always be on the lookout for new threats and vulnerabilities."

Source

LBUSD hit by data leak affecting 130,000 students, but officials say threat is low