In September 2024, Highline Public Schools in Washington experienced a ransomware attack that led to a significant data breach, confirmed after a five-month forensic investigation. Threat actors infiltrated the district’s network, accessed sensitive systems, and exfiltrated personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) across multiple datasets. Exposed data included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, driver’s license and passport numbers, financial and employment records, digital signatures, medical and insurance information, and detailed student academic records. The breach impacted students, staff, and affiliates across 35 schools, compromising the integrity of the district’s information systems. In response, Highline initiated extensive cybersecurity hardening measures and is offering affected individuals one year of free identity theft protection via IDX. The incident underscores the critical vulnerabilities in K-12 infrastructure and the increasing targeting of education sectors by sophisticated ransomware actors. #CyberSecurity #Ransomware https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/2024-ransomware-attack-compromised-data-from-highline-schools-wash