Hackers stole sensitive data from 500,000 Pennsylvania educators

The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) has reported a serious cyberattack that compromised the personal information of over 500,000 members. PSEA represents various education professionals in Pennsylvania, including teachers and counselors. In a notice to Maine’s attorney general, PSEA revealed that the attack occurred in July 2024. Hackers gained unauthorized access to their network and stole sensitive data from more than 517,000 individuals. This data includes government-issued IDs, Social Security numbers, passport details, medical information, and financial data such as credit card numbers and PINs. PSEA has informed affected individuals that not all personal information was accessed for every member. The union stated that it took steps to delete the stolen data but suggested that this might indicate they paid a ransom to the hackers. However, paying a ransom does not always mean that hackers actually remove the stolen data, as seen in past incidents with other ransomware groups. As of now, PSEA has not responded to additional inquiries regarding the situation.