Data breach impacts 910 students and parents in Fort Thomas Independent Schools
Jan 21, 2025
Fort Thomas Independent Schools announced on Tuesday a data breach that exposed sensitive personal information of students and parents.The school district sent a letter on Thursday to families and staff about the security breach.According to the letter, the breach happened from a phishing attack identified by the Kentucky Department of Education in December 2024. The attack involved a malicious application installed across multiple districts Microsoft 365 mailboxes. The application allowed attackers to copy email inboxes from compromised accounts.School officials say they were notified about the phishing scheme on Dec. 4. During their investigation, it was discovered that one district email account had been unknowingly linked to the application involved as of Nov. 15.Although the application was removed, officials found information from the affected inbox might have been copied to an external location. An investigation revealed that the personal information of 910 people was compromised.The inbox contained student injury reports and related insurance documents dating back to 2007. The exposed data included names, addresses, birth dates, health data, Social Security numbers and insurance policy numbers of students and parents.Fort Thomas Independent Schools officials say they are taking measures to address the breach and prevent future incidents. We have implemented security enhancements beyond what was already in place, the district said in the letter.Families impacted by the breach have been notified directly, Forth Thomas schools said. For more information, the district encourages families to reach out to their administration.