Millions of California students have sensitive data stolen names, SSIDs,
home addresses and more taken in attack on nonprofit

Date:
Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:25:00 +0000

Description:
Data breach likely saw attackers obtain millions of students' PII via a
simple password compromise, it seems.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter California Department of Education third-party partner falls victim to a data breach attack An estimated three years' worth of students (5.7 million per year) likely affected It seems access was obtained by a simple password theft Malwarebytes has reported that millions of current and former California public school students have had their sensitive personal information stole following a massive data breach.

The breach occurred in a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) system used by Educational Testing Service (ETS) a third party used by the California Department of Education for managing student information. According to the report, the attackers were able to regain entry repeatedly over the course of four months, accessing student files filled with names, addresses, dates of birth and more. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:
California student system breach likely impacting millions Though ETS hasn't officially disclosed how many students have been impacted, Malwarebytes notes that the state's public schools counted more than 5.7 million students in the 2025-2026 year alone. The state's Department of Education believes students who enrolled in the previous three years could be impacted or around 17 million students if all three years were equal.

The sensitive files were accessed and copied multiple times between May 22
and September 18, with the activity finally being discovered on September 25, and it all comes down to human vulnerability. You may like US healthcare software giant Unlimited Technology Systems admits hackers may have stolen sensitive data of 3.8 million people Massive Pentagon hack sees records of
2.7 million US military personnel leaked during months-long data breach names, military service records and Social Security numbers all revealed Massive data breach sees 220 million traveler records exposed nine years of airline info leaked including passenger and passport details

Rather than a software vulnerability, the attackers are believed to have gained access via compromised credentials, though the intricacies around the specific attack vector haven't been shared yet.

ETS and the California Department of Education are both working to notify impacted individuals, who are being given 24 months of identity protection software for free. No evidence seems to have been found to prove that the stolen information has been publicly released, and it doesn't seem that a ransom threat has been made. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"We have implemented additional safeguards, including enhanced monitoring, strengthened access controls, and further third-party review of our security practices," ETS added in a statement (via Reuters ). Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/millions-of-california-students-have-se nsitive-data-stolen-names-ssids-home-addresses-and-more-taken-in-attack-on-non profit


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)