Update on Impacts of PowerSchool Cybersecurity Breach

Nova Scotia’s investigation into the impacts of the global PowerSchool cybersecurity breach confirms that some social insurance numbers were included in stolen data.

The social insurance numbers of about 250 employees of the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education were compromised during the breach of the third-party student information system. Social insurance numbers have not been collected in PowerSchool since 2010, so affected staff either worked there before 2010 or, if still employed with the centre, began working there before 2010. No students, parents or staff who started after 2010 have social insurance information in PowerSchool.

Teachers and other staff who worked for the regional centre before 2010 should monitor their bank accounts for any irregular activity. Those whose social insurance numbers were included in the breach will be contacted directly by the Province with more information and an offer of credit protection.

PowerSchool says the breach is contained. After it learned of the breach, Nova Scotia brought in third-party cybersecurity firm IBM XForce to assist with the investigation and confirm the impacts to Nova Scotians.

Quick Facts:

• on Wednesday, January 8, the Province was advised that personal information of some current and former staff and students in the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education was stolen as part of a global PowerSchool cybersecurity breach
• PowerSchool is a widely-used information system used to track enrolment, attendance and grades; it does not include financial data like credit card information
• the breach did not affect other regional centres for education or the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial

Additional Resources:

Updates and information on this breach, including advice for those who may have been impacted, is available at: https://novascotia.ca/privacy-breach/

Government of Canada cyber safety information: https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en