Legacy data and servers have bitten another entity. Kudos to Addison Northwest School District (ANWSD), though, for the clarity of their public notice, linked prominently from their home page. Their notice:
We want to inform our community about a recent cybersecurity incident involving Addison Northwest School District (ANWSD). During an investigation into a breach affecting ANWSD servers, we discovered that one of the compromised servers was our old payroll system. This system contains records for employees spanning 2008 to 2022.
Although the information on this server was not stored in a format that is easily accessible, it includes sensitive data such as Social Security numbers and direct deposit banking information. While there is no evidence that this information has been accessed or misused, we must operate under the assumption that all files on this server were exposed.
Steps to Protect Your Information
To help safeguard your personal information, we encourage affected individuals to take the following precautions:
- Enroll in Credit Monitoring Services: These services can help you detect unusual activity on your accounts. Some banks and credit card companies may provide this benefit for free.
- Request Free Credit Reports: Obtain your free credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at www.AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Monitor Financial Accounts: Regularly review your bank and credit card statements for any unauthorized transactions.
- Enable Fraud Alerts: Place a fraud alert on your credit file to make it harder for identity thieves to open accounts in your name.
- Change Your Passwords: Update passwords for financial and other sensitive accounts, ensuring they are strong and unique.
Additional Resources
For more information on protecting your personal information, including how to place a credit freeze or report suspected identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.IdentityTheft.gov.
We deeply regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Elizabeth Jennings, Director of Finance and Operations, at [email protected].
Thank you for your understanding as we work to address this situation.