District says private data from Minneapolis schools computer system posted online

The Minneapolis Public School district announced Tuesday that private information hacked from its computer system has been posted online.

A statement from a district spokesperson didn’t offer details about what kind of information was posted or where it was posted to. 

“This action has been reported to law enforcement, and we are working with IT specialists to review the data in order to contact impacted individuals,” said a spokesperson in the statement. “We are also working with the online host company to get the information removed as quickly as possible.”

The data leak is the result of a ransomware attack that has hampered school activities and access to devices in the state’s third largest district for more than a week. 

The head of the K12 Security Information Exchange has said attacks like this one have become more common in recent years. 

District officials are advising students, staff and families to change all passwords for any online personal accounts that may have been accessed on MPS devices. 

The district is also warning families not to respond to suspicious emails or phone calls and to report any threats or suspicious messages to the district by emailing: privacy@mpls.k12.mn. us