Illuminate Education Inc.

Illuminate Education Inc. experienced a data breach affecting its educational software solutions, exposing sensitive information of over three million schoolchildren. The compromised data varied but included grades, socio-economic status, and special education details. Notably, Social Security numbers and financial information were **not** exposed, and there is no evidence that the breached data has been publicly released or misused. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate sufficient intangible harms (e.g., emotional distress, identity theft risk) to establish legal standing. While the breach involved highly personal student records, the lack of financial data exposure or confirmed misuse limited its immediate consequences. The incident primarily raised concerns about privacy violations and potential long-term risks, such as targeted phishing or discrimination based on the leaked educational and socio-economic details.

Source: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/illuminate-education-defeats-appeal-over-breach-of-student-data

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/illuminate-education

"id": "ill5403454090925",
"linkid": "illuminate-education",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Over 3 million children',
                        'industry': 'Education Technology',
                        'name': 'Illuminate Education Inc.',
                        'type': 'Company'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (data breached but not yet '
                                      'released)',
                 'number_of_records_exposed': 'Over 3 million',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Partial (no SSNs or '
                                                        'financial data)',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'Moderate (educational and '
                                        'socio-economic data, but no SSNs or '
                                        'financial info)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['grades',
                                              'socio-economic status',
                                              'special education details']},
 'description': 'Illuminate Education Inc. faced a proposed class action '
                'lawsuit over a data breach affecting its educational software '
                'solutions. The breach impacted over three million children, '
                'with compromised data potentially including grades, '
                'socio-economic status, and special education details—but not '
                'Social Security numbers or financial information. The '
                'plaintiffs failed to demonstrate sufficient harm to support '
                'legal standing, as affirmed by the US Court of Appeals for '
                'the Ninth Circuit.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential negative impact due to '
                                       'lawsuit and breach disclosure',
            'customer_complaints': 'Proposed class action lawsuit by parents',
            'data_compromised': ['grades',
                                 'socio-economic status',
                                 'special education details'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'Low (no SSNs or financial data exposed)',
            'legal_liabilities': 'Lawsuit dismissed; no standing established '
                                 'by plaintiffs',
            'payment_information_risk': 'None (no financial information '
                                        'compromised)',
            'systems_affected': ['educational software solutions']},
 'investigation_status': 'Legal proceedings concluded (lawsuit dismissed)',
 'references': [{'source': 'US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruling'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Proposed class action lawsuit '
                                            '(dismissed for lack of standing)'},
 'title': 'Data Breach at Illuminate Education Inc.',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}