The Governor’s Academy

The Governor's Academy, an educational institution, suffered a data breach due to an external hacking incident that occurred between February 7, 2020, and May 20, 2020. The breach was discovered later, on November 5, 2020, and impacted 1,835 individuals, including 51 residents. The compromised data included Social Security numbers (SSNs), a highly sensitive form of personally identifiable information (PII). Such exposure poses significant risks, including identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term reputational harm to affected individuals. In response, the academy offered 24 months of complimentary credit monitoring services via CyberScout to mitigate potential damages. The breach highlights vulnerabilities in the institution’s cybersecurity defenses, particularly against external threats targeting sensitive personal data. The delayed detection (nearly six months after the initial compromise) further exacerbates the severity, as prolonged exposure increases the likelihood of malicious exploitation of the stolen SSNs. The incident underscores the critical need for robust breach detection mechanisms and proactive safeguards for high-value data in educational sectors.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/577c9f4a-5ad0-46f8-8bb0-b3c6746bf005.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/6pointsscitech

"id": "6po455082125",
"linkid": "6pointsscitech",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "2/2020",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 1835,
                        'industry': 'Education',
                        'location': 'Maine, USA',
                        'name': "The Governor's Academy",
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': 'External System Breach (Hacking)',
 'customer_advisories': '24 months of complimentary credit monitoring services '
                        'offered to affected individuals',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 1835,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Social Security numbers']},
 'date_detected': '2020-11-05',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported that The '
                "Governor's Academy experienced a data breach affecting 1,835 "
                'individuals, including 51 residents, due to an external '
                'system breach (hacking) between February 7, 2020, and May 20, '
                '2020. The breach involved the compromise of Social Security '
                'numbers and was discovered on November 5, 2020. The '
                "Governor's Academy offered 24 months of complimentary credit "
                'monitoring services through CyberScout to those affected.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs compromised)'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': ['Maine Office of the '
                                                        'Attorney General']},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Offered 24 months of complimentary '
                                        'credit monitoring to affected '
                                        'individuals',
              'third_party_assistance': ['CyberScout (credit monitoring '
                                         'services)']},
 'title': "Data Breach at The Governor's Academy",
 'type': 'Data Breach'}