Data Protection Commissioner and Gardaí notified over data breach at Carlow school

A Carlow secondary school says the Gardaí and the Data Protection Commissioner have been notified after an email hack at the school.

The principal at St Leo’s College has sent a letter to parents apologising unreservedly for the data breach.

The letter says that they were made aware of the hacking on the 4th of April and an extensive investigation was launched.

They say the objective of the hacking appears to have been to get money from the school, however, their financial controls were able to prevent this happening.

The school says there is a possibility though, that certain personally identifiable information about staff and students may have been compromised.

This would include students’ names, PPS numbers and dates of birth.

The office of the Data Protection Commissioner has been informed, as have the Gardaí.

The letter goes on to say that preventative action has been taken to make sure this never happens again and they’ll continue to review and improve their security measures and practices.

Parents with any further concerns or questions are being urged to contact the school directly.