Prescott College attackers steal driver’s license numbers

Prescott College, a US-based private school, warned thousands of victims of a data breach that exposed their personal information.

Unknown attackers breached the IT systems of the college in Arizona in October 2022, says the breach notification letter Prescott College sent out to potential victims.

“Prescott College detected unauthorized access to certain systems on its network as a result of a cybersecurity incident. The incident resulted in the unauthorized access and/or acquisition of certain files from portions of the network,” it said.

The exposed data includes full names of the victims, together with driver’s license numbers and other non-driver ID card numbers. According to the Office of the Maine Attorney General, the breach impacted over 20,000 people.

The school claims that threat actors accessed the data between October 26 and 29, while investigation of what data attackers acquired was completed on March 9.

Exposing driver’s licenses and ID numbers poses serious security risks for victims, as threat actors can use the data for identity fraud. Prescott College said the school will offer “proactive fraud insurance.”

Schools and higher education organizations are frequent targets for cybercriminals. The Vice Society ransomware gang recently targeted the prestigious Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Prescott College was established over six decades ago and focuses on the liberal arts.