Florida student aid breach: 4.9 million people's details exposed
In short: The Florida Department of Education says an unauthorised party accessed its Student Financial Aid website, exposing details of about 4.9 million people, including names, addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers. Aid payments are not affected. Anyone who applied should watch their credit and accounts and be extra careful with messages about student aid.
What happened
The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) announced on 29 October that someone had gained unauthorised access to the system behind its Florida Student Financial Aid website. The department says it learned of the breach on 19 October, that the incident has been contained, and that about 4.9 million people who applied for financial aid in the state may be affected.
According to the department and news reports, the exposed information includes:
- names, home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses;
- gender and dates of birth;
- Social Security numbers.
The department took the financial aid site offline while it investigates with the Florida Digital Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and it has informed the state Attorney General. It has not said how the attackers got in or who they are. It says aid payments, tuition payments, scholarships, grants and student loans are not affected.
Why this one is serious
A name and email address on their own mostly lead to spam. A Social Security number together with a date of birth and address is different: in the United States that combination can be used to open credit, file false tax returns or pass identity checks. Many of the people affected are students and young adults, some of them under 18, who may not check their credit for years, so misuse could go unnoticed for a long time.
What it means for you
If you, or your child, applied for student financial aid in Florida, assume your details may be in criminal hands and take the simple steps below. Even if you are not affected, this is a good reminder of why big breaches keep happening: see why big data breaches keep happening.
Expect scammers to use the news. Be very careful with emails, texts or calls about "your student aid", "a refund" or "verifying your identity after the breach". Do not click links in these messages: go to the official FLDOE website yourself.
Steps that protect you
- Freeze your credit with the three US credit bureaus. It is free and stops anyone opening new credit in your name. Parents can also freeze a child's credit.
- Check your bank statements and free credit reports for anything you do not recognise.
- Watch for letters about loans, accounts or tax returns you did not apply for.
- Change the password on any account that used the same email address and password, and turn on 2-step verification.
- Follow our guide: how to check if your details were in a data breach.
Key takeaways
- About 4.9 million people who applied for Florida student financial aid may be affected.
- Exposed details include names, addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers.
- Aid payments are not affected; the site was taken offline while police and state agencies investigate.
- Freeze your credit, check your accounts and ignore messages about the breach that ask you to click a link.
Understand the basics
New to this topic? These short FM TecHub guides explain the ideas behind this story.
Sources and further reading
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