Colorado Education Department Suffers Ransomware Breach
Colorado Education Department Suffers Ransomware Breach??
A serious ransomware breach at the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) has put former and current high school staff and students in the state at risk of having their personal information compromised. The breach was discovered on June 19, and the CDHE has been working with external experts to investigate and address the incident.?
The unauthorized actors gained access to CDHE systems between June 11 and June 19, 2023, and during this period, certain data was copied. The impacted records include names, social security numbers, student identification numbers, and other education-related information. The breach potentially affects a significant number of individuals who attended public higher education in Colorado between 2007 and 2020, or a public high school between 2004 and 2020.?
Those with a Colorado K-12 public school educator license between 2010 and 2014, participants in the Dependent Tuition Assistance Program from 2009 to 2013, individuals in the Colorado Department of Education's Adult Education Initiatives programs between 2013 and 2017, or those who obtained a GED between 2007 and 2011 are also at risk.?
In response to the breach, CDHE is reevaluating its policies and procedures and implementing additional cybersecurity measures to enhance system protection. Additionally, impacted individuals are being offered complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services through Experian for a duration of two years.?
To safeguard against identity theft and fraud, individuals are advised to remain vigilant and review their account statements regularly. It is recommended to monitor free credit reports to detect any suspicious activity or errors. CDHE encourages affected individuals to enroll in credit monitoring services through Experian.?
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