On Monday, March 4, families started receiving emails from Okanagan Skaha School District stating the cyber attack last month had affected the security of their child’s personal information.
On Feb. 13, the school district responded to a cyber security breach in which an unauthorized entity gained access to certain school district information systems.
As soon as the intrusion was detected, the district disabled key systems to limit the potential impacts and engaged cybersecurity experts to assist with the response, as well as the RCMP.
In the course of the ongoing investigation, SD67 has determined that personal information belonging to parents and students may have been at risk.
The impacted files appear to be limited to the period between 2022 and 2024, said SD67 secretary-treasurer Nicole Bittante in the letter.
Among the types of information possibly accessed are student records, report cards, birth date and school picture, medical information, attendance records and bus lists.
“Although we have no reports or other evidence that any of this information has been used for fraudulent purposes, we want you to be aware of the situation, including the steps we are taking to address this issue, and the precautions that we recommend you take to protect your personal information,” the letter stated.
The district recommends:
• Be vigilant about any fraud or identity theft
• Be suspicious of suspicious emails, texts or phone calls
Editor’s note: The School Cash Online was not part of the cyber attack
READ MORE: Investigation, support continues after Okanagan Skaha school district cyber incident