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Cybersecurity / Data / Education

Data theft reported at Frederick schools

Officials released conflicting statements about what computer system was breached.

Data. What's it say about you? (Photo by Flickr user janholmquist, used under a Creative Commons license)

Frederick County Public Schools are in the midst of fallout from a breach of student data. Officials agree that student data was stolen, but pinpointing the server that was the scene of the crime depends on who you ask.
According to a report in the Frederick News-Post, the theft of info like names, social security numbers and birthdays happened before 2010. It likely affected about 1,000 students who attended in 2005-2006.
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A school spokesman said the theft did not originate in Frederick’s computer system, but rather the state’s education department. That conclusion came from an investigation involving the FBI and other agencies. From the News-Post:

In school districts’ computer systems around the state, students have a number associated with them that changes depending on which school district they are enrolled in. The stolen data contained a number that corresponded to at least one other Maryland school district, Doerrer said.

However, the state issued its own statement saying there is no evidence that the breach occurred in their system. Their evidence is from a separate investigation conducted by a cybersecurity agency known as the Multistate Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

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