PowerSchool Data Breach: Schools Extorted Despite Ransom Payment

PowerSchool Data Breach: Schools Extorted Despite Ransom Payment

PowerSchool Data Breach: Schools Facing New Extortion After Paying Ransom PowerSchool, the leading provider of K-12 software serving millions of students, made headlines when it fell victim to a severe data breach in December 2024. At the time, the company confirmed that hackers had gained access to sensitive student and teacher data, including Social Security numbers and health records, by exploiting a single stolen credential. In a bid to mitigate the damage, PowerSchool reportedly paid a ransom to the hackers to delete the stolen data. However, recent reports indicate that schools across North America are now facing a new wave of extortion attempts, suggesting that the attackers did not honor their promise to destroy the stolen information. Image Credits: Zf L / Getty Images The impact of the PowerSchool data breach has rippled through multiple school districts, with Toronto’s District School Board—serving approximately 240,000 students annually—being one of the first to report receivi…