A major cyberattack on a learning provider has left more than a million Aussies with personal data stolen, including both names and email addresses.
Mathspace confirmed the attack in a blog post with chief technology officer Alvin Savoy saying ‘unauthorised parties’ had accessed an internal reporting system.
The hack has affected school students, parents, teachers and guardians who use the platform.
The platform, which is an online maths learning service used by schools, students and teachers, said the accessed data included user IDs, usernames, first and last names, email addresses, countries, time zones, user types, email-verification status, last-active dates, last-login dates and dates users joined the platform.
‘The exposed data did not include records linking user accounts to their schools,’ the company said.
‘However, for schools with identifiable email domains, we understand this may be possible.’
The company said it had not identified those responsible for the breach and, at this stage, had found no indication that the compromised information had been released, shared or sold online.
Mathspace has notified those affected as well as cyber security authorities and education departments across Australia and New Zealand, and is working to contact individuals whose information may have been accessed.
Popular learning provider Mathspace hacked, with more than a million Aussies’ personal data exposed
The breach has affected school students, parents, teachers and guardians who use the learning platform
The company is also urging users to remain alert for suspicious messages and to independently verify unexpected requests rather than providing passwords or verification codes.
It warned that stolen names, email addresses and account information could be used to make fraudulent messages appear more legitimate, including emails or texts purporting to come from Mathspace, a school or another trusted organisation.
Anyone wanting to find out whether their information was involved in the breach can contact Mathspace via data-breach-response@mathspace.co or through the support channels listed on its website.
In a blog post, the company apologised to those affected and said it was taking steps to strengthen its security.
‘We’re truly sorry this happened and are taking steps to prevent similar breaches in the future,’ the post read.
‘Protecting the information entrusted to us by students, families and schools is our responsibility.’
