CALHOUN — Calhoun City Schools reported a data breach today stemming from software it used between 2005 and 2018 provided by Pearson Assessments.
Below is the school system’s statement on the breach:
Calhoun City Schools was recently made aware of a data security incident related to their AIMSweb 1.0 product by an unauthorized third party. Our district is one of 13,000 Pearson clients affected by this incident, which occurred in November 2018.
According to Pearson, the affected data was limited to the first name, last name and, in some cases, date of birth, GTID number and email addresses of students, as well as the first name, last name and potentially the email addresses of staff. No grade or assessment information was affected in this incident, and the AIMSweb 1.0 platform does not contain Social Security numbers, credit card data, or other financial information.
Although Pearson has provided no evidence that any data was misused, out of an abundance of caution, our district wants to make you are aware of this incident. The impacted individuals potentially include students who were enrolled in grades K-5 between 2005-2018 and any employee who worked with AIMSweb 1.0 during that same timeframe. As a precautionary measure, Pearson is offering a year of free identity monitoring protection free of charge to any student or adult whose information was affected.
As a school district, we take very seriously the security of all student, family and staff data. Only the most limited data is provided to vendors for required services. Contracts with outside vendors are closely vetted to ensure measures are in place at all times to safeguard that data. Pearson Clinical Assessment has worked with cybersecurity experts to evaluate the incident and assured us that changes have been implemented to prevent this from happening again with their product.
Any questions should be directed to Pearson Clinical Assessment at 866-883-3309 or email aimsweb1request@pearson.com.
Experian Credit Monitoring Enrollment Information
Pearson takes its obligation to safeguard personal information very seriously. While we do not have any evidence that any information has been misused, we are providing you the option to enroll in a complimentary one-year membership in Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM. This product provides you with superior identity detection and resolution of identity theft.
This is a precautionary measure for those affected individuals of a recent data security incident relating to Pearson’s AIMSweb 1.0 platform.
If you are one of those affected individuals or represent an affected minor and choose to redeem this offer, you may activate your membership and start monitoring your or your minor’s personal information by following the steps below:
Ensure that you enroll by: January 31, 2020 (Your code will not work after this date.)
Visit the Experian IdentityWorks website to enroll and provide your activation code:
If you are enrolling for an Adult: https://www.experianidworks.com/credit
Provide your activation code: PF7N9N97G
If you are enrolling for a minor: https://www.experianidworks.com/minorplus
Provide your activation code: 4GCYX5C69
If you are redeeming this for a minor, provide your minor’s information when prompted
You will be covered for up to 12 months.
If you have questions about the product please contact Experian’s customer care team at 866-883-3309 by January 31, 2020. Be prepared to provide engagement number DB12466 as proof of eligibility for the identity restoration services by Experian.
Additional details regarding your 12-month Experian IdentityWorks Membership:
A credit card is not required for enrollment in Experian IdentityWorks.
While we have no evidence that your data has been misused, you can contact Experian immediately should you suspect any fraud issues. Experian offers the following features once you enroll in Experian IdentityWorks for yourself or your minor:
Identity Restoration: Identity Restoration agents are immediately available to help you address credit and non-credit related fraud.
Experian IdentityWorks ExtendCARETM: You receive the same high-level of Identity Restoration support even after your Experian IdentityWorks membership has expired.
Up to $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance**: Provides coverage for certain costs and unauthorized electronic fund transfers.
The following additional features are also available:
For adults:
Experian credit report at signup: See what information is associated with your credit file. Daily credit reports are available for online members only.*
Credit Monitoring: Actively monitors Experian file for indicators of fraud.
For minors:
Social Security Number Trace: Monitoring to determine whether enrolled minors in your household have an Experian credit report. Alerts of all names, aliases and addresses that become associated with your minor’s Social Security Number (SSN) on the Experian credit report.
Internet Surveillance: Technology searches the web, chat rooms & bulletin boards 24/7 to identify trading or selling of your personal information on the Dark Web.
If you believe there was fraudulent use of your or your minor’s information and would like to discuss how you may be able to resolve those issues, please reach out to an Experian agent at 866-883-3309. If, after discussing your situation with an agent, it is determined that Identity Restoration support is needed, then an Experian Identity Restoration agent is available to work with you to investigate and resolve each incident of fraud that occurred (including, as appropriate, helping you with contacting credit grantors to dispute charges and close accounts, assisting you in placing a freeze on your credit file with the three major credit bureaus, and assisting you with contacting government agencies to help restore your identity to its proper condition).
Please note that this Identity Restoration support is available to you for one year from the date of this letter and does not require any action on your part at this time. The Terms and Conditions for this offer are located at www.ExperianIDWorks.com/restoration. You will also find self-help tips and information about identity protection at this site.
* Offline members will be eligible to call for additional reports quarterly after enrolling
** Identity theft insurance is underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions
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