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official (Florida Department of Education statement, as published by CBS Miami, WPBF and Florida Phoenix); scope still being determined; no attacker named

Florida Department of Education: criminals got into its student financial aid website; Social Security numbers of up to 4.9 million past applicants may be exposed

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) said on Oct 29 that it found "unauthorized criminal access" to its financial aid website, FloridaStudentFinancialAidSG.org, on Oct 19. Personally identifiable information, including Social Security numbers, was compromised, and the department says up to 4.9 million people may be affected. Anyone who previously applied for financial aid in Florida may be included.

  • Response: FDOE says it contained the incident, notified the state Attorney General, and is working with the Florida Digital Service and FDLE. It believes the incident was limited to the financial aid site, which was showing a maintenance page on Oct 29.
  • Not affected, per FDOE: aid disbursements, tuition payments and eligibility.
  • Not stated: how the attackers got in, how long they had access, or who they are.

What to do if you applied for Florida aid: consider a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, watch accounts and credit reports, and expect phishing that pretends to be FDOE or a school asking you to "verify" aid details. FDOE's contact for questions is [email protected].

Sources: CBS Miami: Hackers breached Florida's Department of Education financial aid website, officials confirm (Oct 29) · WPBF: Florida Department of Education reports data breach (FDOE statement, 4.9 million potentially affected) · Florida Phoenix: personal information breached at Florida Department of Education (Oct 29)