The Burnaby School District has confirmed that personal information belonging to some students, parents, guardians and staff was stolen in a ransomware attack discovered on September 21.
The district said an unauthorized party accessed its systems and copied files that could include names, contact details, dates of birth, Personal Education Numbers, school and grade details, registration forms and residency documents. A smaller number of records may include kindergarten assessments, learning-support records and bus routing information.
Cybersecurity specialists were brought in, and the incident was reported to Burnaby RCMP and B.C.'s privacy commissioner. Phone service was restored by September 28 and the MyEducation family portal by October 1, and the district said learning continued without disruption.
As a precaution, students were offered registration with TransUnion's fraud alert database on October 14, following a similar offer to staff. The investigation is ongoing.
