Affton School District

The Affton School District suffered a data breach on February 25, 2021, caused by an external hacking incident targeting its systems. The breach exposed sensitive personal information, specifically Social Security numbers, of 1,183 individuals, including at least one Maine resident who was formally notified on April 1, 2021. The incident was reported by the Maine Office of the Attorney General, highlighting the severity of the unauthorized access. Social Security numbers are high-value targets for identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term exploitation, posing significant risks to affected individuals. While the exact method of the breach (e.g., phishing, exploit of a vulnerability) was not detailed, the external nature of the attack suggests a deliberate cyber intrusion. The district’s failure to prevent the breach raises concerns about its cybersecurity posture, particularly in safeguarding personally identifiable information (PII) of students, staff, or associated parties. The incident underscores the critical need for educational institutions to implement robust security measures, including encryption, access controls, and breach detection systems, to mitigate such risks in the future.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/e7e1a04e-171d-416e-b292-dc3259c1b025.shtml

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/affton-school-district

"id": "aff732082025",
"linkid": "affton-school-district",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "2/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 1183,
                        'industry': 'Education (K-12)',
                        'location': 'Affton, Missouri, USA (with 1 Maine '
                                    'resident affected)',
                        'name': 'Affton School District',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': 'External System Breach (Hacking)',
 'customer_advisories': 'Direct notification to 1 Maine resident (2021-04-01)',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 1183,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['Social Security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (Social Security numbers)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)']},
 'date_detected': '2021-02-25',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2021-04-01',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported that Affton '
                'School District experienced a data breach on February 25, '
                '2021, due to an external system breach (hacking). The breach '
                'affected 1,183 individuals, including 1 Maine resident, with '
                'compromised information including Social Security numbers.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (SSNs exposed)'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Maine Office of the '
                                                       'Attorney General'},
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Direct notification to affected Maine '
                                        'resident (1 individual) on '
                                        '2021-04-01'},
 'title': 'Affton School District Data Breach (2021)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}