Key facts
- Data pilfered did not include social security numbers, driver's licenses, passports, or financial account information.
- Parents and guardians' data was not affected.
- ETS is offering affected students access to an identity-theft protection service for two years.
A cyberattack on systems operated by Educational Testing Service (ETS) has exposed personal data of millions of California students, prompting the state to pause enrollment processing and certain testing activities. The California Department of Education (CDE) confirmed the incident in a letter to districts on October 2, stating that it is working with state cybersecurity experts to assess the impact and provide support to affected individuals. ETS is offering affected students two years of identity-theft protection services. The pilfered information did not include sensitive financial or identification documents, nor did it affect parents' data. This breach follows a similar high-profile hack in the spring that disrupted Canvas, a learning module system, and comes amid a broader spree of cyberattacks targeting federal agencies, including the FBI, Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Courts.