Social Security numbers, medical information and ID numbers were exposed, among other sensitive information, the Texas AG’s office says.
SAN ANTONIO — As Kerrville residents were picking up the pieces after devastating summer floods and children were returning to classrooms, the local school district contended with a cybersecurity breach that exposed the private information of 4,300 people.
Among the data that was made vulnerable were Social Security numbers, financial information, ID numbers and medical information, according to a database maintained by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. The report was published on Aug. 26, less than two weeks before Kerrville ISD welcomed back students for the first day of school.
It’s unknown how many of the affected individuals were staff members, students or other community members.
Kerrville ISD officials said it was the result of “a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain devices within the district’s network.”
“When the District became aware of the incident, we immediately took steps to address the issue and notified the FBI,” a spokesperson added.
Outside cybersercurity experts helped Kerrville ISD in its investigation which found that “an unauthorized party took copies of certain files from the district’s network.”
“The district takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard all information it maintains,” Kerrville ISD officials said. “To help prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future, the district has implemented additional measures to enhance the security of its network and will continue to train its employees on recognizing and preventing cybersecurity threats.”
The district said it contacted the individuals whose information was in those electronic files; the AG’s office reports that contract was done by mail.
It’s unclear, however, whether any individual whose information was exposed may have been living elsewhere if they were displaced by the disastrous July 4 floods that tore many Kerr County homes from their foundations.
Kerrville ISD didn’t immediately response to KENS 5’s follow-up questions about how it ensured those affected by the data breach were notified.