School Management Software Reports Data Breach

Active Network, a company that provides software for K-12 schools and districts, reported a security breach last week.

According to a company notice, hackers gained unauthorized access to Blue Bear, a software platform that facilitates administration and management of school accounting, student fees, and online stores on behalf of educational institutions.

The hackers possibly accessed personal information of webstore users including names, credit and debit card numbers, expiration dates, security codes and Blue Bear account usernames and passwords between October 1, 2019 and November 13, 2019. The company says the security breach didn’t involve sensitive ID information like Social Security numbers, driver license number or similar government ID cards.

“As soon as we identified the suspicious activity, our counsel engaged a leading
cybersecurity firm to investigate the incident and took steps to enhance its monitoring tools and security controls,” Active Network said in the notice.

In addition, they are offering free identity monitoring services to customers and a reference guide for more information on how to monitor and protect personal information.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.