SINs compromised in cybersecurity breach of PowerSchool in Cape Breton-Victoria region

The Nova Scotia government says an investigation into a cybersecurity breach of PowerSchool, a widely used student information system, has shown that the social insurance numbers of about 250 staff in the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education have been compromised. 

According to a news release from the province on Friday, social insurance numbers have not been collected in the third-party system since 2010, "so affected staff either worked there before 2010 or, if still employed with the centre, began working there before 2010."

No students, parents or staff who started after 2010 have social insurance information in PowerSchool.

The province is urging teachers and other staff who have worked at the regional centre before 2010 to monitor their bank accounts for irregular activity. The province will contact people whose social insurance numbers were included in the breach with more information and an offer of credit protection.

PowerSchool says the breach is now contained. The province said it brought in IBM XForce, a third-party cybersecurity firm, to help with the investigation and to confirm the impacts to Nova Scotians.

Officials were alerted Wednesday afternoon that personal information of some staff and current and former students "was stolen as part of a global PowerSchool cybersecurity breach."

The province said the breach did not affect other regional centres for education or the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial.

More than 3,000 people work for the Cape Breton-Victoria Centre for Education, which has an enrolment of more than 13,250 students.

Personal information contained within PowerSchool includes birthdates, addresses, allergies, MSI cards, emergency contact information and whether a student has an adaptation.