Latest news with #PembinaTrailsSchoolDivision
CBC
15-04-2025
- CBC
'Appalling' Pembina Trails hack could cause a lot of damage, privacy expert says
A privacy expert says she's not seen a breach elsewhere in Canada that matches the scale of the Pembina Trails School Division hack. Almost a million files amounting to about 4.5 terabytes of data have been released on the dark web after the group behind a December attack targeting the Winnipeg school division couldn't find a buyer for the information. Ann Cavoukian, executive director of Global Privacy & Security by Design and former Ontario privacy commissioner, said she's aware of attacks of a similar magnitude elsewhere in the world, including Europe and Japan, but not in Canada. "It's appalling and can cause so much damage," she said in an interview with the CBC's Up to Speed Monday. "Unauthorized third parties can use your personal information to present you in a different light, to [get] access to things that you would prefer not to have, and also to give unauthorized third parties access to your personal information. They can go do whatever the heck they want with it." The security breach from December was carried out by ransomware hacking group Rhysida. It shut down the division's networks for weeks, with everything from computers to printers, to clocks impacted by the attack. The school said the information stolen by the hackers goes back to 2011. Data should've been better protected: Student The data that was possibly exposed includes names, dates of birth, confidential business data, personal health information and email addresses as well as payroll information, credit card statements and even photos of valid passports. Sabastian Kelly, who's in Grade 10, said that while students had personal data leaked, he's mostly worried about teachers and other school staff who've had more sensitive information like social insurance numbers exposed in the attack. "We can't do too much to not have it out there because it's already been released," Kelly said. "Obviously I'm not an IT professional," he said. "But what I can say is that this information … should have been protected a little bit better." VenariX, an American firm that investigates cybersecurity incidents, said it found the leaked data from 31 other school divisions on the dark web. Cavoukian said the Pembina Trails attack, while appalling, is not surprising. "When governments, schools, school boards have personally identifiable information … this should be very strongly protected," she said.
CBC
11-04-2025
- CBC
Hackers tried to sell Pembina Trails School Division student, staff info on dark web
Social Sharing Photos of valid passports, staff payroll information and credit card statements were among the nearly 1 million files uploaded onto the dark web after a recent ransomware attack by a hacker group on a south Winnipeg school division. The Pembina Trails School Division was hit in December by a data breach carried out by a hacker group known as Rhysida, which stole personal information of students, teachers and families. The division confirmed Friday the hacker group demanded a ransom to get the data back, but said it wasn't paid. The group then advertised the sale of personal information and photos of students, teachers and staff going back to 2011 on the dark web — a part of the internet that can't be accessed with a traditional web browser. When no one bought the data, the group uploaded it online. The data that was possibly exposed includes names, dates of birth, confidential business data, personal health information and email addresses. Colleen Peluso, who has three children in the Pembina Trails School Division, says some of their personal data was among the information stolen, alongside that of thousands of other students and staff. "Every year, the parent council at our school does cybersecurity and internet safety talks, which I go to. I've tried really hard to protect my family," Peluso said. Company found data on dark web VenariX, a Texas-based company that investigates and records cybersecurity incidents, said it decided to investigate the breach to learn more. The company has no connection with the Pembina Trails School Division, but found the division's data on the dark web and put together a report on its website that included pixelated images of the stolen information to help people learn about the hack. The hacker group listed the 5.4 terabytes of data stolen from Pembina Trails online and was selling it for 15 bitcoins — the equivalent of roughly $1.6 million. WATCH | Hackers tried to sell data stolen from division: Hackers tried to sell info after Pembina Trails School Division cyberattack 48 minutes ago Duration 2:10 The Pembina Trails School Division was hit in December by a data breach carried out by a hacker group known as Rhysida, which stole personal information of students, teachers and families, and then tried to extort more than $1.5 million from the south Winnipeg school division. "Some of them will try to sell that data to somebody else that is interested … just to make a profit. If they do sell it, some will just remove it off their website like it wasn't even there," said Luciana Obregon, who works with VenariX. "But if they weren't able to sell it, they basically make it available for anybody to go in and do whatever they want with it." Screengrabs viewed by CBC show documents with names, birth dates, health information, email addresses and bank account numbers. Initially, the division said the stolen information dated back to 2014, but it's since learned a backup database was also accessed, with information going back to 2011. The Winnipeg Police Service's financial crimes unit is investigating. Teacher and student data "should never be compromised," Manitoba Teachers' Society president Nathan Martindale said in an emailed statement. "There's no doubt this will cause our members extreme psychological stress." The division hired its own cybersecurity company to investigate. It's offering three years of a credit monitoring service at no cost to current and former staff and is encouraging families to be vigilant. Divisions 'don't understand how valuable' data is The group claiming responsibility for the Winnipeg ransomware attack is believed to be a criminal operation from Russia or eastern Europe. Rhysida has also claimed attacks against government institutions in Portugal, Chile and Kuwait, according to the Guardian. Pembina Trails was one of many school divisions attacked across Canada. Obregon says she's found leaked data from 32 of them on the dark web. Another victim of the same group that targeted the Winnipeg division is the Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario, a group that evaluates teachers' qualifications for salary categorization purposes. It was hit by an attack last July that may have exposed confidential business data and personal information, some of which has been posted to the dark web, said Obregon. QECO executive director Liz Papadopoulos described the cyberattack as a "painful matter" and said no financial information was stolen. Everyone impacted was contacted and systems were secured, she said, but she declined to comment further. Cybersecurity expert Hadis Karimipour said ransomware attacks on schools and school divisions have become more common, as many focus on quickly digitalizing things without keeping security in mind. "They don't understand how valuable their data is and why cybercriminals would be interested. So they don't invest in it," said Karimipour, Canada Research Chair in Secure and Resilient Cyber-Physical Systems and an associate professor at the University of Calgary. That data can be extremely valuable for things like identity theft, she said. Karimipour said one of the easiest things organizations like school divisions can do to protect themselves is to invest in training for employees, helping them to recognize things like phishing emails and learn how work systems can be compromised if they're connected to personal devices that have been breached.
CBC
14-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Some Manitoba school divisions cancelling field trips to U.S. due to tension over gender issues
Some Manitoba school divisions, citing safety concerns for students and staff, are cancelling field trips to the United States and will keep their travel plans local. The Seven Oaks School Division in northwest Winnipeg is among the divisions changing their travel plans this year to prioritize values involving inclusion, equity and diversity. Their decision follows an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump that terminated a range of policies aimed at protecting 2SLGBTQ+ rights, fulfilling a campaign promise he described as " restoring biological truth." Trump says the U.S. will recognize only two sexes — male and female. "That is definitely a consideration — that we pay attention to when there are executive orders to the point of only recognizing certain people and essentially cancelling others," Seven Oaks superintendent Tony Kreml told reporters at a news conference on Friday. "That can certainly provide for an unsafe situation both for a student and staff member." Since making the decision to pause education-related trips south of the border, he says he's heard "comments of appreciation" from people regarding concerns for their safety, Kreml told reporters at West St. Paul School on Friday. Kreml says he doesn't have specific details about the school field trip, but he said its cancellation won't have a significant impact. The unpredictable cost of travel was also a factor in the decision, ensuring opportunities for families are equitable, he says. Kreml touts Winnipeg's local attractions including The Forks, saying students can learn so much by travelling within the province, which further contributes to supporting the economy. The decision to cancel the trip was not meant to be adversarial, he says. Troy Scott, assistant superintendent at Pembina Trails School Division, sent out an email on Friday to parents, legal guardians and staff, saying the division is pausing all student field trips to the U.S. for the remainder of the school year, effective immediately. "This decision prioritizes student safety and reaffirms our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion," Scott said. Pembina Trails, which serves communities in southwest Winnipeg, says it will re-evaluate this decision at the start of the 2025-26 year. Pausing any trips to the U.S. aligns with the division's commitment on anti-racism, diversity and creating an inclusive learning environment where all students feel supported and valued, Scott said. Tracy Schmidt, minister for education and early childhood learning, told reporters she is encouraging school divisions across the province to follow suit and focus on learning opportunities involving travel excursions in their own backyard. The Louis Riel School Division has not issued any specific guidance to schools in their division regarding travel to the U.S., superintendent Christian Michalik said in an email statement on Thursday. Glenlawn Collegiate had a trip to Florida in January that was cancelled due to Hurricane Milton, Michalik said, but none of the schools within the division have scheduled trips to the U.S. during this school year.
