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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [TECHNOLOGY]

3 clusters · 19 sources · 6 days · First seen · Last updated

California student data breach at ETS

Overview

A significant data breach has compromised the personal information of millions of California public school students. The incident involved the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a nonprofit contracted by the state to administer standardized assessments.

An investigation determined that an unauthorized party used a compromised login credential to access an ETS-operated secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) site. The intrusion occurred in multiple instances between May 22 and September 18, 2026, and was discovered on September 25, 2026. The breach affects students enrolled during the previous three school years, as well as former students who left California schools since 2006 without a confirmed transfer.

Stolen data includes names, dates of birth, home addresses, schools, districts, grade levels, and demographic information such as race, ethnicity, primary language, and country of origin. It also includes details regarding disability or Section 504 status, English learner status, statewide and local student identifiers, and statewide assessment results. Officials confirmed that Social Security numbers, financial account information, and passwords were not accessed.

In response, ETS has taken the affected SFTP site offline and is developing a new site with enhanced security controls and increased monitoring. The California Department of Education (CDE) is working with the State Board of Education to support affected families. Notifications to individual families began on October 16, 2026, and are expected to continue through November. Some students under the age of 18 may be eligible for minor identity protection services.

Entities

Educational Testing Service · California Department of Education · California · State Board of Education · Pasadena Unified School District

Timeline

  1. [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    California Department of Education reports student data breach

    A data breach involving the Educational Testing Service has exposed personal information for California students, including demographics and assessment data, but no Social Security numbers.

  2. [TECHNOLOGY] 6 sources
    Educational Testing Service data breach affects California students

    A data breach at Educational Testing Service exposed personal information of California students, including disability details and assessment results, via a compromised login credential.

  3. [TECHNOLOGY] 10 sources
    California student data breach affects millions

    A hacker compromised the data of millions of California students by exploiting a login at the Educational Testing Service (ETS), exposing names, addresses, and disability status over a four-month period.

Sources

apple.slashdot.org · awhspitch.com · coloradoboulevard.net · cyberinsider.com · epochtimes.com · govtech.com · index.hr · infoguerra.com.br · itnerd.blog · jornal24horas.com.br · justthenews.com · kion546.com · kulturegeek.fr · offthepress.com · rbfirehose.com · saferworld.org.uk · srnnews.com · trn.mk · vijesti.hrt.hr

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history