Northwestern Ontario school board provides update on data breach

An investigation into the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board data breach has found it could potentially impact data belonging to KPDSB students, their families, and staff dating back to 2015.

PowerSchool is a widely used outside provider that manages functions like students' personal information and communication with parents.

Multiple school divisions across Canada — including the country's largest — informed families they were affected by the cyberattack involving PowerSchool, a California-based provider of cloud software to over 16,000 customers in more than 90 countries.

"To support those affected, KPDSB has created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, which includes details about the breach, the types of data that may have been impacted, and steps individuals can take to protect themselves," said KPDSB in a media release.

"The FAQ will be updated as new information becomes available."

KPDSB is reminding families to stay vigilant following the breach and recommends people regularly monitor their email and online accounts, updating passwords and making them stronger, being cautious of unfamiliar calls, messages or emails, and avoiding suspicious links.

The Lakehead Public District School Board (LPDSB) and Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board (TBCDSB) were also impacted by the data breach and are still assessing "the exact information that may have been accessed or exported from the application."

If personal information has been compromised they will inform people affected.

The Rainy River District School Board (RRDSB) were also notified about the data breach in a note to students and parents and how they are addressing the situation.

"Working with PowerSchool, we are conducting a thorough investigation to understand the nature of the incident and what personal information may have been affected. PowerSchool has confirmed that the unauthorized data has been deleted," said the note to parents and caregivers from Heather Campbell, director of Education.

"We understand this news may be worrying, but please rest assured that we are actively working with PowerSchool to understand what happened. We will update you as more information becomes available."