Approximately 90 applicants had their personal information accessed by unauthorized source
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Education Department is dealing with a breach of personal information related to the online application site for student aid.
Education Minister Joan Burke says the Student Financial Services Division was recently notified of an incident involving unauthorized access to a client’s personal information. Burke says the online site for student aid was immediately shut down, the problem identified and corrected and the site was re-established the same day.
The province says there were approximately 48,000 people who had information in the database at the time of the exposure. So far its been determined that 90 people had their information accessed by an unauthorized source.
Burke says the site has been reviewed by an external security firm which confirms the personal information is now secured.
The minister says officials are contacting those affected.
-with a report from CP