Data Breach Hits 900 US Schools via National Student Clearinghouse

Data Breach Hits 900 US Schools via National Student Clearinghouse: The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), a US-based nonprofit providing educational verification and reporting services, has fallen victim to a significant data breach.

Approximately 900 American educational institutions using NSC’s services were affected, highlighting the widespread impact of this cyberattack.

Key Takeaways on Data Breach Hits 900 US Schools:

• NSC’s Security Breach: A breach at NSC, a vital player in educational verification, exposes data from around 900 US schools.
• Exploiting MOVEit Vulnerability: The breach results from an attack on the MOVEit managed file transfer (MFT) system, part of a global hacking campaign targeting organizations.
• Sensitive Data Compromised: Personal information, including Social Security numbers, was accessed, urging affected individuals to stay vigilant regarding identity theft.

The NSC Data Breach: Origins and Response

National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), a nonprofit organization specializing in educational verification and reporting, has reported a significant data breach affecting nearly 900 US schools relying on its services.

The breach’s genesis lies in a cyberattack exploiting a vulnerability in MOVEit managed file transfer software.

The breach came to light following the widespread MOVEit hacking campaign, which targeted organizations worldwide in late May. On May 31, 2023, NSC was alerted to the cybersecurity issue by Progress Software, its third-party software provider responsible for MOVEit Transfer.

An immediate investigation, backed by cybersecurity experts and law enforcement, was initiated.

The unauthorized access to certain files within MOVEit Transfer was confirmed on June 20, 2023, with the breach occurring around May 30, 2023.

The compromised data encompasses a range of personal information, including names, dates of birth, contact details, Social Security numbers, student IDs, and specific school-related records such as enrollment details, degree records, and course-level data. The extent of data exposure varies by individual.

Protecting Affected Individuals: Vigilance Advised

In response to the breach, the National Student Clearinghouse urges affected individuals to maintain vigilance. They are advised to scrutinize their account statements and closely monitor their free credit reports for any signs of suspicious activity.

This proactive approach can help safeguard personal information in the wake of the breach.

The MOVEit Transfer Vulnerability: A Gateway for Cyberattacks

The breach’s point of entry was MOVEit Transfer, a managed file transfer tool widely employed by enterprises for secure file transfers through SFTP, SCP, and HTTP-based uploads.

The vulnerability exploited is a SQL injection vulnerability, granting unauthorized access to MOVEit Transfer’s database.

The severity of this vulnerability lies in its potential to allow unauthenticated attackers to not only access the database but also glean information about its structure and contents.

Furthermore, attackers can execute SQL statements to modify or delete database elements. Importantly, all versions of MOVEit Transfer are affected, except for the cloud-based iteration.

Clop Ransomware Group Implicated

This breach echoes the activities of the Clop ransomware group, also known as Lace Tempest. Microsoft previously attributed a global hacking campaign to this group, highlighting their exploitation of a zero-day vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-34362, within the MOVEit Transfer platform.

The Clop gang issued an extortion note on their dark web leak site, asserting possession of sensitive information from numerous businesses.

Conclusion

The breach impacting National Student Clearinghouse and around 900 US schools underscores the vulnerability of educational institutions to cyber threats. As NSC and affected schools work to address the breach’s fallout, vigilance remains paramount.

The incident further emphasizes the critical importance of robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard personal data in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape.