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California student data breach at ETS

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-19 20:44 UTC → 2026-10-23 02:33 UTC · added removed

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. 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. Affected The California Department of Education (CDE) is working with the State Board of Education to support affected families. Notifications to individual families are being notified, began on October 16, 2026, and some former are expected to continue through November. Some students under the age of 18 may be eligible for identity-protection minor identity protection services.

Versions

  1. 2026-10-23 02:33 UTC California student data breach at ETS
  2. 2026-10-19 20:44 UTC California student data breach at ETS

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