Unauthorized access to Florida’s student financial aid website may have exposed personal information, including Social Security numbers, belonging to approximately 4.9 million people, the Florida Department of Education said Thursday. Department staff became aware of the unauthorized access on Oct. 19. Officials believe the breach was limited to the Florida Student Financial Aid website.
The department recommends that people monitor their financial and online accounts for suspicious activity and regularly review account statements and credit reports. It also recommends considering a fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus. Consumers can obtain free credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com. The Federal Trade Commission’s IdentityTheft.gov website offers additional information about responding to a data breach.
Current financial aid is not at risk, and the incident will not delay financial aid disbursements or tuition payments from the department, officials said. The breach also will not affect eligibility for scholarships, grants or student loans from the department. Some department websites and online services may experience temporary disruptions while officials work to restore full functionality.
The department said it activated its cybersecurity response protocols after detecting the incident, took steps to contain the unauthorized activity and secure its systems, and notified the Florida Attorney General’s Office. It is working with the Florida Digital Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The unauthorized access remains under criminal investigation.
Anyone with questions about the breach can contact the department at databreach@fldoe.org. The department is posting updates on its data breach information page and said information could change as the criminal investigation continues.