PowerSchool Data Security Incident
January 21, 2025
Dear Morrison Parent,
We are writing to inform you of a worldwide cybersecurity incident affecting PowerSchool, the student information system used by Morrison Academy and thousands of other schools around the world. On January 8, 2025, PowerSchool notified us, along with numerous other U.S.-based and international schools, of a system breach that occurred around December 22, 2024. It is important to note that this was a coordinated external attack targeting PowerSchool's infrastructure worldwide and not specifically directed at our institution.
We contacted PowerSchool for detailed information relevant to Morrison and our internal review confirmed that there was unauthorized access to certain data. The compromised information includes student names, demographic information, and contact details (email addresses, phone numbers, parent/guardian contact information). Morrison does not collect U.S. Social Security numbers. ARC and passport number data were not compromised. Furthermore, student academic records, photographs, and financial data were not accessed and remain secure and unaffected. Cybersecurity incidents often seek data to be used for identity theft and so without personal identification numbers, we believe the data accessed is not that useful.
According to PowerSchool, the breach has been successfully contained, and the exported data has been deleted. Working with their cybersecurity partners, they have expressed high confidence that the data will not be publicly disclosed and are actively monitoring known channels for any potential data sharing. Currently, there is no ongoing malicious activity within the PowerSchool environment, and no other systems were compromised.
Although no password data was compromised in the breach, it is our opinion that Morrison should take extra precautions to ensure account security. As part of this effort, we will be initiating a password reset for all affected teacher, student, and parent accounts. The password reset instructions will be sent to your email.
We understand this news may cause concern and apologize for any potential inconvenience this may cause. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we prioritize the safety and security of our community.
If you have specific questions, please contact our Tech Director at: techdirector@ma.org.tw
Respectfully,
Julie Heinsman, Superintendent
Andy Wu, Director of Educational Technology