Stonington Public Schools

The Maine Office of the Attorney General disclosed a data breach affecting Stonington Public Schools between September 25–27, 2021, caused by an external system hack. The incident compromised sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers, of 1,765 individuals likely students, staff, or associated parties. The breach exposed victims to risks such as identity theft and financial fraud, prompting the school to offer two years of complimentary identity theft protection services as a remedial measure. While no immediate financial losses or operational disruptions were reported, the exposure of highly sensitive identifiers (SSNs) poses long-term threats, including potential misuse for fraudulent activities, credit applications, or targeted phishing attacks. The breach underscores vulnerabilities in the school’s third-party systems or cybersecurity defenses, raising concerns about data protection protocols for educational institutions handling confidential records. The response focused on mitigation rather than addressing the root cause of the external intrusion.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/agviewer/content/ag/985235c7-cb95-4be2-8792-a1252b4f8318/5720e4c7-0468-49a6-ab6a-2e589103111a.shtml

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

"id": "sto956091725",
"linkid": "stonington-school-district",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "9/2021",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 1765,
                        'industry': 'Education (K-12)',
                        'location': 'Stonington, Maine, USA',
                        'name': 'Stonington Public Schools',
                        'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
 'attack_vector': 'External System Breach (Hacking)',
 'customer_advisories': 'Complimentary identity theft protection services for '
                        'two years offered to affected individuals',
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': 1765,
                 'personally_identifiable_information': ['Social Security '
                                                         'numbers'],
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (includes Social Security '
                                        'numbers)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
                                              'Information (PII)']},
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2021-11-01',
 'description': 'The Maine Office of the Attorney General reported a data '
                'breach involving Stonington Public Schools. The breach '
                'occurred between September 25, 2021, and September 27, 2021, '
                'due to an external system breach (hacking), potentially '
                'affecting 1,765 individuals, with Social Security numbers '
                'among the compromised information. Complimentary identity '
                'theft protection services for two years were offered to those '
                'affected.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['Social Security numbers'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'High (Social Security numbers exposed)'},
 'references': [{'source': 'Maine Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Reported to the Maine '
                                                       'Office of the Attorney '
                                                       'General'},
 'response': {'recovery_measures': 'Offered complimentary identity theft '
                                   'protection services for two years to '
                                   'affected individuals'},
 'title': 'Stonington Public Schools Data Breach (2021)',
 'type': 'Data Breach'}