PowerSchool Data Breach Exposes Social Security Numbers

PowerSchool, an education software provider, suffered a major data breach in December 2024 that exposed sensitive information of millions of students and teachers, including names, birth dates, and, in some cases, Social Security numbers. Despite paying a ransom and initially assuring that the stolen data was deleted, continued extortion attempts have targeted individual school districts and staff, with hackers threatening to release the data unless further payments are made. Experts and school officials warn that paying ransomware demands does not guarantee data deletion, as ongoing threats prove. School systems in North Carolina and other areas remain at risk, facing repeated extortion. PowerSchool and affected districts are working with law enforcement and offering two years of free credit monitoring and identity protection to those impacted. The incident underscores the limited effectiveness of ransom payments in stopping cyberattacks.