California Department of Education: Hacker Copied Student Data From Contractor System Across Three School Years
The California Department of Education (CDE) announced on October 16 that a hacker exploited a system run by the nonprofit testing organization Educational Testing Service (ETS) and copied data on California students enrolled over the past three school years, including names, birth dates, addresses and disability status. More than 5.7 million students were enrolled in California in the 2025-26 school year.
According to the department, ETS identified the breach of its secure file transfer site on September 25 and began an investigation. The investigation determined that an unauthorized party used a compromised login credential to access the site at various times between May 22 and September 18, 2026, and copied files containing California student information. ETS began notifying affected students and families on October 16.
The department said there is no evidence so far that the copied information has been made public, and that Social Security numbers and sensitive financial information were not accessed. ETS administers statewide assessments in California, including English language proficiency tests. In an October 2 letter to county and district officials, the department said ETS had stopped normal enrollment data processing and that the agency was working to minimize disruption and resume affected assessment activities.
Source: GSM·USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国一所公立学校的学生在课堂上使用笔记本电脑（资料图）。摄影：Virginia Department of Education，CC BY 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Students using laptops in a U.S. public school classroom (file photo). By Virginia Department of Education, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
