Privacy watchdogs in Ontario and Alberta issued their findings Tuesday after investigating a mass data breach of a student information system used across Canada, concluding that school boards lacked adequate breach response plans, among other issues.

Ontario’s privacy commissioner says PowerSchool, a software and storage company for school systems in the U.S. and Canada, was a victim of a cyberattack and ransom threat in December 2024 that compromised the data of current and former students, parents and staff.

Ontario’s watchdog says about 5.2 million Canadians were affected by the cyberattack, and while PowerSchool paid a ransom, the threat actor also demanded ransom payments from school boards, including those in Toronto and Peel Region.

Though Ontario and Alberta launched separate in

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