Providence Public Schools confirms ‘unauthorized access’ during security breach

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Providence Public School Superintendent Javier Montañez said in a letter Wednesday that an investigation into the network security breach earlier in the month has revealed that a group claims they have access to district files.

Montañez said that the investigation, which involved a “professional third-party IT agency” as well as a cyber-security company, confirmed that there was “unauthorized access” into the district’s network during the breach.

In addition, an “unverified” group has claimed they have access to unspecified Providence school documents.

“At this time we are still gathering more information and are conducting an analysis that will provide us greater clarity on what may have occurred, what may have been impacted, and what actions may need to be taken,” the superintendent said.

The full text of the letter can be read below:

Dear Providence Public Schools community,

We are writing to provide another update on the network issues we first experienced a few weeks ago. As previously shared, PPSD IT staff were alerted and responded to irregular activity detected on our network on Wednesday, September 11. IT staff followed security protocols and, out of an abundance of caution, quickly took steps to disable internet connectivity. The District engaged a professional third-party IT agency to provide additional support and restoration services. Additionally, the district secured a third party vendor with expertise in cyber-security and launched a forensic analysis of the network. Federal and state authorities were also informed about the suspicious activity and have extended their support throughout this process.

Through the investigation, which continues at this time, we recently obtained confirmation that unauthorized access occurred on our network. Moreover, an unverified, anonymous group has claimed that they have PPSD files. While we cannot confirm the authenticity of these files and verify their claims, there could be concerns that these alleged documents could contain personal information. Again, at this time we are still gathering more information and are conducting an analysis that will provide us greater clarity on what may have occurred, what may have been impacted, and what actions may need to be taken.

While we are continuing to work closely with our partners and law enforcement, we wanted to alert our school community as we learned about this. We will continue to work with our partners to fully understand the potential exposure and should it be needed, provide additional guidance and resources to students, families, and staff if they were impacted. The safety of our school community and the security of personal information is a top priority here at PPSD, and we will communicate any additional information on this matter as it becomes available. We thank you for your cooperation and attention to this matter. We will continue to provide updates as we get more information.

Respectfully,

Javier Montañez, EdD
Superintendent