Massive Data Breach at Winnipeg School Division Targets a Million Files

Post by : Mina Rahman

In a significant incident, a school division in southern Winnipeg has completed its probe into a major cyberattack from last year, resulting in the exposure of close to 1 million files containing sensitive personal information.

The investigation wrapped up on November 26, with final notifications dispatched to those impacted on Wednesday.

The compromised data included backups from the student information system, staff payroll records, documents from 12 schools, and various administrative files. The breach took place last December when a group of hackers attempted to sell the data for more than $1 million in bitcoin. After the lack of interested buyers, the information was leaked onto the dark web.

According to the notifications, personal information of students enrolled in 12 out of the division’s 36 schools from 1999 to 2024 may have been compromised, including contact information, health records, and numbers related to passports, health cards, and social insurance.

Additionally, staff and teachers from 2001 to 2024 may also be affected, with exposed details such as social insurance numbers, banking information, and disciplinary documents. People who submitted passport scans, driver’s license numbers, or wrote cheques to the division between 2005 and 2024 might also have had their information accessed.

The division is collaborating with a security firm to bolster its data protections and implement continuous monitoring. Affected individuals have been informed, and no further updates are anticipated.