Nearly 5 Million Floridians Caught in Financial Aid Site Breach, Including Social Security Numbers

Florida's Department of Education (FLDOE) has told students that a data breach exposed sensitive information on nearly 5 million people who applied for financial aid in the state. The department said it became aware of the incident on October 19. The exposed data includes names, addresses, phone numbers, genders, email addresses, Social Security numbers and dates of birth.

FLDOE said an unauthorised party gained access to a system or database holding customer information. It is working with the Florida Digital Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and has reported the incident to the Office of the Attorney General. The financial aid site has been taken offline, and other department websites and services may see temporary disruptions. The department said student aid, scholarships, grants, loans and tuition payments will not be affected. It declined to comment on the nature of the incident or who was behind it, and said the incident has been contained. Affected people are urged to monitor their credit reports and financial accounts for unusual activity.

The report notes this is the second large Florida government breach this year, after the state's Department of Motor Vehicles reported a breach last month by a prominent hacking group. It also follows a breach announced a week earlier by California's education department.