---
title: 'California student data breach via ETS exposes records for three school years'
url: 'https://securteksecurity.com/news/california-student-data-breach-ets-sftp-three-school-years'
markdown: 'https://securteksecurity.com/news/california-student-data-breach-ets-sftp-three-school-years.md'
date: '2026-10-16'
description: 'The California Department of Education announced on October 16, 2026 that an unauthorized party used a compromised login credential to access a secure file transfer protocol site operated by Educational Testing Service, the nonprofit contractor that administers statewide assessments, and copied fil…'
taxonomy:
  category:
    - Breaches
  tag:
    - usa
    - academics
---

# [California student data breach via ETS exposes records for three school years](https://securteksecurity.com/news/california-student-data-breach-ets-sftp-three-school-years)

   16th Oct 2026   [usa](https://securteksecurity.com/tag:usa#body-wrapper) [academics](https://securteksecurity.com/tag:academics#body-wrapper)  

The California Department of Education announced on October 16, 2026 that an unauthorized party used a compromised login credential to access a secure file transfer protocol site operated by Educational Testing Service, the nonprofit contractor that administers statewide assessments, and copied files containing California student information at various times between May 22 and September 18, 2026. The files cover all students enrolled in the three previous school years, plus some former students dating back to 2006. The data includes names, birth dates, addresses, student IDs, demographics, assessment data, disability status and testing accommodations, and Section 504 status. Social Security numbers, financial data, passwords, and parent or guardian information were not accessed.

ETS identified the activity on September 25, took the SFTP site offline, and built a new site with enhanced controls. Notifications to students and families began on October 16 and continue through early November, with two years of Experian IdentityWorks identity protection offered. ETS says it has found no evidence the information has been made public so far. No official total of affected individuals has been published: more than 5.7 million students were enrolled in California in the 2025-26 school year alone. Because no total has been stated, this breach is listed with records pending and no figure is added to the records exposed total; the item will be updated when a total is published.

Sources: [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/hacker-gets-data-millions-california-students-state-education-department-says-2026-10-17/); [Cybernews](https://cybernews.com/news/california-student-data-breach-millions-records-ets-hack/)

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