The Consolidated High School District 230 in Illinois includes Carl Sandburg High School, Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, Victor J. Andrew High School, Haverhill Public Schools, and Pysa suffered from the data breach incident. The compromised information includes students’ ID numbers, first and last names, email addresses, and plaintext passwords. Numerous files included personal and educational data on special education students, including required progress reports on achieving their Individualized Education Program objectives, which were contained in one folder (IEP). In response to attacks on the education industry, the FBI released a Flash Alert. They urged school districts to thoroughly study it and follow the alert's recommended precautionary steps.

The Affton School District suffered a data breach on February 25, 2021, caused by an external hacking incident targeting its systems. The breach exposed sensitive personal information, specifically Social Security numbers, of 1,183 individuals, including at least one Maine resident who was formally notified on April 1, 2021. The incident was reported by the Maine Office of the Attorney General, highlighting the severity of the unauthorized access. Social Security numbers are high-value targets for identity theft, financial fraud, and long-term exploitation, posing significant risks to affected individuals. While the exact method of the breach (e.g., phishing, exploit of a vulnerability) was not detailed, the external nature of the attack suggests a deliberate cyber intrusion. The district’s failure to prevent the breach raises concerns about its cybersecurity posture, particularly in safeguarding personally identifiable information (PII) of students, staff, or associated parties. The incident underscores the critical need for educational institutions to implement robust security measures, including encryption, access controls, and breach detection systems, to mitigate such risks in the future.