Richmond Public Schools is expanding its free identity monitoring services to include former students and employees following a cybersecurity incident that may have exposed personal information.
The division confirmed that some personal information was included in material posted to the dark web and had previously reported that information may have been compromised.
Identity monitoring extended to former students and staff
RPS initially made complimentary identity monitoring available to current students and employees on October 23, two days after discovering the incident. The division is now extending the service to former students and employees. A call center is scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Thursday to answer questions and assist individuals who want to enroll.
Scope of exposed data and response efforts
According to RPS, the individuals responsible for the attack claim to have accessed or obtained personal information belonging to current and former students, employees and contractors. The information exposed could include names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, military identification numbers, benefits information and limited medical information.
Technology teams are making progress rebuilding the division’s network and restoring data from backups. RPS is also working with state and local government partners to strengthen its cybersecurity protections. The incident comes as cybersecurity threats continue to affect school divisions and organizations nationwide.
