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PowerSchool data breach exposes millions of student and teacher records

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PowerSchool data breach exposes millions of student and teacher records

Cybercriminals spare no industry, targeting sectors like health care, insurance, automotive and education. Health care has been a frequent target, with attacks like the Ascension breach last year and the CVR incident in late 2024. 

Now, education technology giant PowerSchool has become the latest target, with records of millions of students and teachers stolen.

While the exact number of affected individuals remains unknown, the scale of the breach is alarming.

PowerSchool serves 18,000 customers worldwide, including schools in the U.S. and Canada, managing grading, attendance and personal information for over 60 million K-12 students and teachers.

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Kids working on their laptops  (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How did hackers target PowerSchool

PowerSchool revealed a cybersecurity breach to its customers Jan. 7, as reported by BleepingComputer. The company said it discovered the breach Dec. 28, after customer data from its PowerSchool SIS platform was stolen through the PowerSource support portal.

PowerSchool SIS is a student information system used for managing grades, attendance, enrollment and other student records. Hackers accessed the PowerSource portal using stolen credentials and used an “export data manager” tool to steal information.

The company said this wasn’t a ransomware attack or a result of software flaws, but rather a straightforward network break-in. The company has hired a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate the breach, figure out what happened and determine who was affected.

power school 2

Illustration of a hacker at work  (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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What data got stolen

The PowerSource portal includes a feature that allows PowerSchool engineers to access customer systems for support and troubleshooting. The attacker exploited this feature to export the PowerSchool SIS “students” and “teachers” database tables to a CSV file, which was then stolen.

PowerSchool confirmed the stolen data primarily includes contact details like names and addresses. However, for some districts, the data may also include sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, personally identifiable information, medical records and grades.

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The company said customer support tickets, credentials and forum data were not accessed or stolen during the breach. PowerSchool also emphasized that not all SIS customers were affected and expects only a subset of customers will need to notify those affected.

“We do not anticipate the data being shared or made public, and we believe it has been deleted without any further replication or dissemination,” the developer told customers in a notice.

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“We have also deactivated the compromised credential and restricted all access to the affected portal. Lastly, we have conducted a full password reset and further tightened password and access control for all PowerSource customer support portal accounts.”

PowerSchool said affected adults will be offered free credit monitoring, while minors will receive subscriptions to an unspecified identity protection service.

power school 3

Illustration of a hacker at work  (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MASSIVE DATA BREACH EXPOSES 3 MILLION AMERICANS’ PERSONAL INFORMATION TO CYBERCRIMINALS

5 ways you can stay safe from PowerSchool data breach

The PowerSchool data breach has highlighted the importance of staying vigilant about your personal information. Here are five steps you can take to protect yourself:

1. Monitor your accounts regularly: Keep a close eye on your bank accounts, credit cards and any online services linked to your personal information. Watch for unauthorized transactions or changes to your accounts that could signal misuse of your data.

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2. Freeze your credit: If your Social Security number or other sensitive details were compromised, consider placing a credit freeze with major credit bureaus like Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This prevents potential identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name.

3. Use identity theft protection services: Take advantage of any identity protection services offered by PowerSchool as part of its breach response. These services can alert you to suspicious activity and provide support if your identity is stolen.

One of the best parts of some identity protection services is that they have identity theft insurance of up to $1 million to cover losses and legal fees and a white glove fraud resolution team where a U.S.-based case manager helps you recover any losses. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.

4. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): Wherever possible, enable 2FA for your online accounts. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification, such as a text code or app-generated token, to access your accounts.

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5. Be aware of phishing links and use strong antivirus software: Cybercriminals often use phishing scams to exploit data breaches. Avoid clicking on suspicious links in emails or text messages, especially those claiming to be from PowerSchool or your school district.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

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Kurt’s key takeaway

You can blame hackers for this breach, but PowerSchool shares the responsibility for failing to adequately protect sensitive data. The company may also be in violation of data privacy agreements it signed with school districts, as well as federal and state laws designed to safeguard student privacy. What’s more concerning is that PowerSchool took nearly two weeks to notify its customers about the breach. Schools are now left scrambling to assess the full extent of the intrusion. This delay is not just irresponsible; it puts students, parents and teachers at heightened risk of cyberattacks and identity theft.

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Do you think companies like PowerSchool should face stricter regulations for handling sensitive data? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter

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Everything we think we know about the next iPhone SE

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Everything we think we know about the next iPhone SE

Apple has confirmed a product launch on February 19th, and we think it’ll be the new iPhone SE. That could mark a major shake-up to the company’s affordable iPhone line, adding in Face ID and killing off the classic home button.

We don’t expect Apple to hold a full launch event for the new SE, instead simply announcing the phone on its website. When the company has done this in the past, it’s tended to favor announcements at 9AM ET, so set your alarm clock now if you don’t want to miss the news.

We have a pretty good idea of what’s coming after months of leaks and rumors, so here’s everything we expect to see next week.

There won’t be a home button…

The biggest change is that Apple is upending the iPhone SE’s design, after leaving it broadly unchanged since the series’ inception in 2016. The 2022 SE is the last iPhone still using a home button, with a thick bezel around the top and bottom of the screen. But rumors say Apple will now ditch the button, slim the bezel, and add Face ID.

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The result will be a phone that looks like the iPhone 14 from the front. Like that phone, it’s expected to place its Face ID sensors in a notch, rather than using the less obtrusive Dynamic Island design that was introduced in the 14 Pro and has been used in every iPhone since then. Apple can’t resist keeping its SE series just a little behind the times.

We’ve seen the notched design in a video shared by the leaker Majin Bu, which shows them handling what is likely a nonfunctional dummy unit, used by case manufacturers to design and test their accessories.

Case manufacturer Spigen also showed off renders of the phone when it accidentally published a listing early for one of its cases for the phone. The product page has been taken down, but not before GSMArena grabbed images that closely match the device shown in the video above.

…but there will be an Action button

Bu’s video and Spigen’s images both suggest that the SE 4 will include a customizable Action button, but not the Camera Control introduced on the iPhone 16.

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Like other SE models, it also appears to stick to a single rear camera. One leaked spec list suggests that the SE will use a 48-megapixel sensor on the rear, with a 12-megapixel selfie camera on the front, but this is an area where there have been few reports so far.

It’s not going to be a small phone

The redesign will allow the 2025 SE to have a larger screen than the 4.7-inch panel used by the 2022 model. It’s expected to instead use a 6.1-inch display, the same size as the standard iPhone 16, and will also upgrade to OLED.

The bigger screen means the phone as a whole will be larger than any previous iPhone SE, and there will no longer be any iPhone smaller than the standard model. If we assume the new phone will have similar dimensions to the iPhone 16, then it could be 9mm taller than the 2022 SE and weigh about 25g more.

Lightning is out, USB-C is in

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It’s pretty much certain that the phone will have a USB-C port rather than Lightning, allowing it to once again be sold in the EU. The previous SE model was discontinued in EU markets, along with every other iPhone using a Lightning port.

It’ll be one of the most powerful iPhones around

On the inside, Bloomberg reports that the phone will use the same A18 chip as the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models. That’s the same approach Apple has used for its last two SE phones, which have paired the latest silicon with more dated designs. The A18 is expected to be combined with an increase to 8GB of RAM, the minimum required to run Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI tools that provide notification summaries and other functionality and are now enabled by default. That would all make it more powerful than 2023’s iPhone 15.

It will even beat this year’s iPhone 17 series to feature Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, replacing the Qualcomm components that iPhones have used in the past. Apple has been developing its own modems for over half a decade, but Bloomberg warns that the first iteration is a “downgrade” from the modem in the latest flagship iPhones and won’t support mmWave 5G, only sub-6 — though that was true of the last iPhone SE, too.

Tim Cook has teased a new “member of the family,” arriving on February 19th, and we’re pretty sure that’s the new SE.

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Bloomberg predicts a price of “roughly $500,” higher than the 2022 model’s starting price of $429. That may be offset by a default storage spec of 128GB, meaning there would no longer be any 64GB iPhone on the market.

There’s also a possibility that it won’t be called the iPhone SE after all. Two leakers have predicted that it will instead be called the iPhone 16E, though, since the SE name has popped up more often, we think that’s still more likely.

We won’t have long to wait to find out for sure. The SE would be the first of several big iPhone launches this year, with Apple tipped to reveal a slimmer iPhone 17 Air as well as “major updates” to the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro.

Update, February 13th: Added mention of Apple’s teaser for an announcement on February 19th.

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Screenshot-scanning malware discovered on Apple App Store in first-of-its-kind attack

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Screenshot-scanning malware discovered on Apple App Store in first-of-its-kind attack

Every tech expert will tell you the App Store is safer than Google Play Store. Some might even claim it is impossible to download a malicious app from the App Store, but they are wrong. 

While I admit the App Store is a secure and tightly controlled ecosystem, it cannot completely shield you. Security researchers have found that hackers are targeting several apps on the App Store to spread malware that steals information from screenshots saved on a device. 

The issue also affects those downloading apps from the Google Play Store.

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A person holding an iPhone. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson )

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How the malware works and what makes it different

According to researchers at Kaspersky, this malware campaign is more advanced than typical info stealers, both in how it works and how it spreads. Instead of relying on social engineering tricks to get users to grant permissions like most banking trojans or spyware, this malware hides inside seemingly legitimate apps and slips past Apple and Google’s security checks.

One of its standout features is Optical Character Recognition. Instead of stealing stored files, it scans screenshots saved on the device, extracts text and sends the information to remote servers.

Once installed, the malware operates stealthily, often activating only after a period of dormancy to avoid raising suspicion. It employs encrypted communication channels to send stolen data back to its operators, making it difficult to trace. Plus, it spreads through deceptive updates or hidden code within app dependencies, an approach that helps it evade initial security screenings by app store review teams.

The infection vectors vary between Apple and Google’s ecosystems. On iOS, the malware is often embedded within apps that initially pass Apple’s rigorous review process but later introduce harmful functionality through updates. On Android, the malware can exploit sideloading options, but even official Google Play apps have been found to carry these malicious payloads, sometimes hidden within SDKs (software development kits) supplied by third-party developers.

Messaging app

Messaging app in the App Store designed to lure victims.

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What’s being stolen, and who’s responsible?

The scope of stolen information is alarming. This malware primarily targets crypto wallet recovery phrases but is also capable of exfiltrating login credentials, payment details, personal messages, location data and even biometric identifiers. Some versions are designed to harvest authentication tokens, allowing attackers to access accounts even if users change their passwords.

The apps serving as malware carriers include ComeCome, ChatAi, WeTink, AnyGPT and more. These range from productivity tools to entertainment and utility apps. In some cases, malicious developers create these apps with full knowledge of the malware’s purpose. In others, the issue appears to be a supply chain vulnerability, where legitimate developers unknowingly integrate compromised SDKs or third-party services that introduce malicious code into their applications.

We reached out to Apple for a comment but did not hear back before our deadline. 

App Store

Messaging app in the App Store designed to lure victims. (Kaspersky)

Apple’s response to screenshot-scanning malware discovered in App Store

Apple has removed the 11 iOS apps mentioned in Kaspersky’s report from the App Store. Furthermore, they discovered that these 11 apps shared code signatures with 89 other iOS apps, all of which had been previously rejected or removed for violating Apple’s policies, resulting in the termination of their developer accounts.

Apps requesting access to user data such as Photos, Camera or Location must provide relevant functionality or face rejection. They must also clearly explain their data usage when prompting users for permission. iOS privacy features ensure users always control whether their location information is shared with an app. Also, starting in iOS 14, the PhotoKit API — which allows apps to request access to a user’s Photos library — added additional controls to let users select only specific photos or videos to share with an app instead of providing access to their entire library. 

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The App Store Review Guidelines mandate that developers are responsible for ensuring their entire app, including ad networks, analytics services and third-party SDKs, complies with the guidelines. Developers must carefully review and choose these components. Apps must also accurately represent their privacy practices, including those of the SDKs they use, in their privacy labels.

In 2023, the App Store rejected over 1.7 million app submissions for failing to meet its stringent privacy, security and content standards. It also rejected 248,000 app submissions found to be spam, copycats or misleading and prevented 84,000 potentially fraudulent apps from reaching users.

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What Google is doing to stop malware 

A Google spokesperson tells CyberGuy: 

“All of the identified apps have been removed from Google Play and the developers have been banned. Android users are automatically protected from known versions of this malware by Google Play Protect, which is on by default on Android devices with Google Play Services.”

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However, it is important to note that Google Play Protect may not be enough. Historically, it isn’t 100% foolproof at removing all known malware from Android devices. Here’s why:

What Google Play Protect can do:

  • Scans apps from the Google Play Store for known threats.
  • Warns you if an app behaves suspiciously.
  • Detects apps from unverified sources (sideloaded APKs).
  • Can disable or remove harmful apps.

What Google Play Protect can’t do:

  • It does not provide real-time protection against advanced threats like spyware, ransomware or phishing attacks.
  • It does not scan files, downloads or links outside of Play Store apps.
  • It may miss malware from third-party app stores or sideloaded apps.
  • It lacks features like VPN protection, anti-theft tools and privacy monitoring.
password

Image of a person typing in their password on screen. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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5 ways users can protect themselves from such malware

1. Use strong antivirus software: Installing strong antivirus software can add an extra layer of protection by scanning apps for malware, blocking suspicious activity and alerting you to potential threats. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

2. Stick to trusted developers and well-known apps: Even though malware has been found in official app stores, users can still minimize their risk by downloading apps from reputable developers with a long track record. Before installing an app, check its developer history, read multiple reviews and look at the permissions it requests. If an app from an unknown developer suddenly gains popularity but lacks a strong review history, approach it with caution.

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3. Review app permissions carefully: Many malicious apps disguise themselves as legitimate tools but request excessive permissions that go beyond their stated purpose. For example, a simple calculator app should not need access to your contacts, messages or location. If an app asks for permissions that seem unnecessary, consider it a red flag and either deny those permissions or avoid installing the app altogether. Go to your phone settings and check app permissions on your iPhone and Android

4. Keep your device and apps updated: Cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities in outdated software to distribute malware. Always keep your operating system and apps updated to the latest versions, as these updates often contain critical security patches. Enabling automatic updates ensures that you stay protected without having to manually check for new versions.

5. Be wary of apps that promise too much: Many malware-infected apps lure users by offering features that seem too good to be true — such as free premium services, extreme battery optimizations or AI-powered functionality that appears unrealistic. If an app’s claims sound exaggerated or its download numbers skyrocket overnight with questionable reviews, it’s best to avoid it. Stick to apps with a transparent development team and verifiable functionalities. 

HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PRIVATE DATA FROM THE INTERNET 

Kurt’s key takeaway

The new malware campaign highlights the need for stricter vetting processes, continuous monitoring of app behavior post-approval and greater transparency from app stores regarding security risks. While Apple and Google have removed the malicious apps upon detection, the fact that they made it onto the platform in the first place exposes a gap in the existing security framework. As cybercriminals refine their methods, app stores must evolve just as quickly or risk losing the trust of the very users they claim to protect.

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Do you think app stores should take more responsibility for malware slipping through? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you’d like us to cover.

Follow Kurt on his social channels:

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Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:

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Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

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PS5 State of Play February 2025: the best trailers and biggest reveals

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PS5 State of Play February 2025: the best trailers and biggest reveals

Sony is starting out 2025 by sharing exactly what it has in store for the PlayStation 5 this year. The company will be streaming a 40-minute State of Play event on February 12th, which is aimed at showcasing upcoming PS5 titles, so you can expect a mix of new reveals and closer looks at previously announced games. That likely means names like Ghost of Yōtei, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows — along with the odd surprise like, just maybe, the long-awaited Bloodborne remaster.

Whatever Sony does decide to show, you can keep up with everything right here.

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