Colorado School District Escapes Hack with Little Damage

No illegal activity occurred with data obtained in a hack.

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(TNS) — An independent investigation shows no student data was compromised during a suspected breach of Lewis-Palmer School District 38's computer system in May, district officials said Wednesday.

"Protecting student data is a priority, and we weren't surprised it was substantiated that no security breach occurred," said D-38 spokeswoman Julie Stephen.

Also, Monument police will not file charges in the case. The department contacted D-38 administrators on May 27 about a report of an alleged hacking of the district's system, said Monument Police Chief Jacob Shirk.

The investigation determined that information from three students had been obtained by someone, he said.

But, "Upon contact with the parents of the three students, it was determined that illegal activity had not occurred," Shirk said.

D-38 is beefing up its system's security, Stephen said.

While the audit by AppliedTrust, a Boulder-based information technology company, found no breach, Stephen said there was evidence that login credentials for students were vulnerable to hacking.

Students will find improved password protocols with upgraded security features when they return from summer break next month. Under the new setup, they will create strong passwords and use Google Apps for Education for accessing schoolwork-related materials. Students in kindergarten through third-grade will have no email accounts, and fourth- through eighth-graders will only have access to internal district email. High school students will have internal and external email capability, with the new safety features.

Superintendent Karen Brofft said the district has improved both internal and external protective measures and will do "continuous monitoring for vulnerabilities."

Parents soon will receive more information on the new procedures, Stephen said.

"Technology is changing fast, and security concerns change in reaction to that, so we pay attention and respond to the concerns and issues that arise," she said. "We'll continue to continually make improvements."

©2016 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.), distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. 

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