The Florida Department of Education announced Thursday that unauthorized criminal access to the Florida Student Financial Aid website may have exposed the personal information of roughly 4.9 million people. The compromised data includes personal identifying information such as Social Security numbers. The department says current financial aid is not at risk and that scholarship, grant and loan eligibility will not be affected by the incident.
According to FLDOE, cybersecurity response protocols were activated, the incident was contained, law enforcement was notified, and the department is working to restore full functionality. The breach is believed to be limited to the Florida Student Financial Aid website, though some online services may experience temporary disruptions.
For Suncoast families with students at schools like Ringling College, New College of Florida and USF Sarasota-Manatee, or anyone who has applied for state aid, the practical advice is straightforward: review your financial and online accounts for unusual activity, and consider a free credit freeze with the major bureaus. Have you checked your accounts since this news broke? Let us know on our social pages.
