In a concerning incident, the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) has experienced a cyber attack leading to a data breach. The incident, which occurred on June 17, prompted immediate action by the ALSDE's Information System staff to halt the attack before full access to targeted servers could be obtained by the hackers. However, some data and services were compromised and disrupted.

State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey confirmed that the ALSDE is working closely with state and federal law enforcement agencies, the Alabama Attorney General, the Alabama Office of Information Technology, and an independent contractor to determine the extent of the breach and identify compromised data. Preliminary investigations suggest that both student and employee data, including personally identifiable information, may have been accessed by the hackers.

To ensure the safety of those affected, Mackey advised parents and employees of the ALSDE to closely monitor their credit and operate under the assumption that their data may have been compromised. He noted that sensitive information such as direct deposit details is not stored within the state department's systems. The ALSDE is collaborating with the FBI and cybersecurity experts to closely monitor the situation.

Authorities have labeled the incident as an ongoing criminal investigation. Despite the breach, services have been restored, with additional cybersecurity protocols implemented to strengthen the ALSDE's defenses. In a statement, the State Department of Education expressed disappointment and frustration at being targeted by criminal syndicates. The department has made it clear that it will not negotiate with foreign actors and extortionists.

The ALSDE has taken several undisclosed measures to enhance data security. However, the department has refrained from publicly sharing the specifics due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation. A landing page, alabamaachieves.org/databreach, has been established to keep the public updated on the progress of the investigation. Any questions or comments regarding the breach can be directed to databreach@alsde.edu.

In light of the incident and scheduled critical updates, the ALSDE website, including the landing page, will be temporarily unavailable starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The department expects the website to be back online within two to four hours.

Relevant parties affected by the breach will be notified once it has been determined which specific data may have been compromised. The ALSDE is committed to rectifying the situation and ensuring the security of sensitive information moving forward.

As investigations continue, state and federal authorities will work diligently to identify those responsible for the cyber attack to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.