DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Data breach affects Frederick County schools (UPDATED)

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Dissent

WMAR reports:

A data breach may have affected up to 1000 students at Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS)  officials said.

The breach impacted students who attended FCPS between November 2005 and November 2006.
The breached information includes names, social security numbers and birth dates.

AP adds important details that the breach was brought to the school system’s attention by a former student who found his data on a website. Was it a site like HaveIBeenPwned? or was it a paste or a marketplace? They don’t say, but they report:

Doerrer says the school system notified the FBI as soon as it learned of the data breach, and has been working with state law enforcement and technology officials.

 There doesn’t seem to be any statement on the FCPS web site at this time.
Update 1: Aha. There is more to the story. Jeremy Bauer-Wolf reports:

Information on those students, who were enrolled in Frederick County schools between November 2005 and November 2006, was taken from a data breach that school officials said occurred before 2010.

A former student who discovered the information online alerted the school district of the breach in September, school district spokesman Michael Doerrer said. The information was offered for sale online, he said.

He said an investigation involving multiple state agencies and the FBI could not conclude where the data originated.

Read more on The Frederick News-Post. I still can find no statement on the district’s site.

So: the district may have had some breach that occurred before 2010 but went undetected until a former student found his data up for sale on what is presumably some dark web marketplace? Will the district offer their former students any services or help?

And what, exactly, does it mean that the investigation couldn’t conclude where the data “originated?” Does that mean it may not have come from the District’s system or server? If so, how can the district say that the breach occurred before 2010? Were there any vendors back then who would have had access to students’ SSNs?

And were/are the data still up for sale?

It’s all a puzzlement in search of more transparency.

Related posts:

  • Kept in the Dark — Meet the Hired Guns Who Make Sure School Cyberattacks Stay Hidden
Category: Education SectorOf NoteU.S.

Post navigation

← UK: TalkTalk hacker who blackmailed company chief during year-long cyber crime spree faces jail
Ca: Privacy breach affects 200 patient records at Hamilton doctor’s office →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Hunters International to provide free decryptors for all victims as they shut down (1)
  • SEC and SolarWinds Seek Settlement in Securities Fraud Case
  • Cyberattacks Disrupt Iran’s Bread Distribution, Payments Remain Frozen
  • Hacker with ‘political agenda’ stole data from Columbia, university says
  • Keymous+ Hacker Group Claims Responsibility for Over 700 Global DDoS Attacks
  • Data breach reveals Catwatchful ‘stalkerware’ is spying on thousands of phones
  • DOJ investigates ex-ransomware negotiator over extortion kickbacks
  • Hackers Using PDFs to Impersonate Microsoft, DocuSign, and More in Callback Phishing Campaigns
  • One in Five Law Firms Hit by Cyberattacks Over Past 12 Months
  • U.S. Sanctions Russian Bulletproof Hosting Provider for Supporting Cybercriminals Behind Ransomware

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Record-Breaking $1.55M CCPA Settlement Against Health Information Website Publisher
  • Ninth Circuit Reviews Website Tracking Class Actions and the Reach of California’s Privacy Law
  • US healthcare offshoring: Navigating patient data privacy laws and regulations
  • Data breach reveals Catwatchful ‘stalkerware’ is spying on thousands of phones
  • Google Trackers: What You Can Actually Escape And What You Can’t
  • Oregon Amends Its Comprehensive Privacy Statute
  • Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Liberal Majority Strikes Down 176-Year-Old Abortion Ban

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.