October 2023 Cybersecurity Incident

The Clark County School District (“CCSD”) is providing notice of a recent incident that may affect the security of information pertaining to individuals, including certain current and former employees. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in CCSD’s care is one of its highest priorities and CCSD takes this incident very seriously. Although CCSD has not received any reports of actual or attempted misuse of the impacted information, CCSD is providing this notice in an abundance of caution. CCSD does not store or have access to personal banking information, online shopping accounts, credit card information, etc.

If you have additional questions about this incident, please call CCSD’s dedicated assistance line at 888-566-5512 between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

What Happened?

Clark County School District (“CCSD”) recently became aware of a cybersecurity incident impacting its email environment. Upon discovering the incident, CCSD immediately engaged a team of forensic experts to investigate the incident and ensure that CCSD operates within a safe and remediated email environment.

Thus far, the investigation revealed that the unauthorized party accessed limited personal information related to a subset of students, parents, and employees. CCSD is working diligently to identify all individuals whose information was impacted by this incident. Affected individuals identified by CCSD will receive a notification letter via first-class mail outlining steps to protect their information. No reports of related identity theft since the discovery of the incident have been made to CCSD at this time.

When did CCSD learn of this incident?

CCSD noticed unusual behavior in the email environment late in the evening on October 4, 2023.

Why did it take CCSD so long to tell me about this?

CCSD’s investigation is ongoing. As soon as CCSD learned that its email environment had been accessed by an unauthorized party, CCSD immediately commenced the investigation, including working with third-party forensic investigators. As the investigation continues, more information will be provided to impacted individuals.

What information was potentially accessed?

CCSD’s investigation into this incident is ongoing. CCSD has identified that some employee, student, and parent information was accessed/acquired as a result of this incident. At the conclusion of the investigation, CCSD will individually notify all affected individuals.

Is the stolen information being misused?

CCSD has not received any reports of misuse of specific individual’s personal information as a result of this incident.

Do you know who accessed the information illegally?

No, the identity of the individual(s) responsible for this incident is still being investigated; however, they refer to themselves as SingularityMD.

I am a parent of a student at CCSD/I am a student at CCSD – was student information impacted?

There is evidence that some student and parent information may have been accessed/acquired. CCSD’s investigation is ongoing. If you are identified as one of the students or parents whose personal information was compromised, you will receive a notification letter via first-class mail.

Does this mean I am a victim of identity theft or identity fraud?

No. The State of Nevada has provided helpful information on protecting against identity theft or fraud, should you feel it is appropriate. If you believe you are the victim of identity theft or fraud, you should immediately report it to local law enforcement. Visit riskmanagement.ccsd.net for information on identity theft made available in the Risk Spotlight.

What is CCSD doing in response to this incident?

The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in our care is one of CCSD’s highest priorities, and we take this incident very seriously. Currently, CCSD is working diligently to determine the full nature and scope of this incident, securing its email environment, and determining what personal data may be at risk. As part of CCSD’s ongoing commitment to the security of information in its care, CCSD will review existing policies and procedures and implement additional safeguards. CCSD will also be individually notifying affected individuals as well as state and federal regulators, as required.

CCSD immediately activated the Cybersecurity Incident Response Teams and established a Cyber Incident Hotline to inform parents, students, and the community.

Steps CCSD has taken to implement additional layers of security (not necessarily in this order):

  • Global password reset for all users
  • Update Google security settings
  • Notified staff and families about the incident
  • Notified law enforcement
  • Collaborated with cybersecurity specialists to review the situation
  • Strengthen login credentials and continue to enhance login protocols and other security measures

I heard about this from another source/ Am I impacted by this incident?

CCSD’s investigation into this incident's full nature and scope is ongoing. CCSD will notify all potentially affected individuals at the conclusion of the investigation.

October 16, 2023

On approximately October 5, 2023, Clark County School District (“CCSD”) became aware of a cybersecurity incident impacting its email environment. Upon discovering the incident, CCSD immediately engaged a team of forensic experts to investigate the incident and ensure that CCSD operates within a safe and remediated email environment. CCSD is also cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation.

Thus far, the investigation revealed that the unauthorized party accessed limited personal information related to a subset of students, parents, and employees. CCSD is working diligently to identify all individuals whose information was impacted by this incident. Our comprehensive assessment is ongoing and may span several weeks. Rest assured that we are committed to sharing more information as it becomes available in the coming weeks.

Affected individuals identified by CCSD will receive a notification letter via first-class mail outlining steps to protect their information. No reports of related identity theft since the discovery of the incident have been made to CCSD at this time. The State of Nevada has resources and materials available for those concerned they have been a victim of identity theft.

We understand that you may have questions about this incident that are not addressed in this announcement. If you have additional questions about this incident, please call CCSD’s dedicated assistance line at 888-566-5512 between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

October 16, 2023

In an effort to safeguard our data and communication, access to Google Workspace will be temporarily limited to the internal CCSD network. Additionally, out of an abundance of caution, we have implemented a forced password change for all students to protect their accounts.

As a result, the school will work with them to change their password, and students will be unable to access Google Workspace, including Gmail and Drive, from outside the CCSD network. Users will have uninterrupted access in schools and administrative buildings.

Students will continue to have access to Canvas and Infinite Campus once their password has been reset.

If you have additional questions about this incident, please call CCSD’s dedicated assistance line at 888-566-5512 between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

October 25, 2023

We anticipate restoring student access to the Google Workspace for off-site users beginning Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Users may experience delays as they attempt to access Google Workspace outside of regular instructional and office hours. We expect fully restored access to be available by Thursday, October 26, 2023.

We want to reassure students and families that grading issues associated with the limited Google access will be accounted for as teachers work through regaining access to their grade books and accurately reporting students’ grades and assignments.

If students continue to experience issues accessing their email, please contact site-based technicians for support.

We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

October 26, 2023

The investigation into the October 5, 2023, cybersecurity incident is ongoing. CCSD continues our engagement with a team of forensic experts to investigate this incident and operate within a safe online environment. CCSD is cooperating fully with the current FBI investigation.

CCSD is still working to identify all individuals whose information was impacted by this incident. Our comprehensive assessment is ongoing. Rest assured that we are committed to sharing information as it becomes available.

Affected individuals identified by CCSD will receive a notification letter via first-class mail outlining steps to protect their information. No reports of related identity theft since the discovery of the incident have been made to CCSD at this time. The State of Nevada has resources and materials available for those concerned they have been a victim of identity theft.

We understand that you may have questions about this incident not addressed in this announcement. If you have additional questions about this incident, please call CCSD’s dedicated assistance line at 888-566-5512 between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

November 1, 2023

On Oct. 5, 2023, CCSD experienced a cybersecurity incident. The investigation into that incident remains open and active at this time, and CCSD is cooperating with the FBI as they investigate the incident.

We know that many families and staff are frustrated because of this incident, as are we, and we appreciate the patience being granted in this situation. As a district, we are not unique in this vulnerability, as school districts across the country have been victimized similarly, as have private sector entities.

We remain committed to operating within a safe online environment and will continue to secure our technology environment further.

As the investigation continues, we are committed to cooperating with agencies responsible for finding the responsible party and holding them accountable. Rest assured that we will share information as it becomes available so everyone is informed and can respond to protect personal information.

November 13, 2023

The Clark County School District (CCSD) continues to work with the FBI to investigate the cybersecurity threat and identify those affected by the incident discovered on October 5, 2023. As the investigation continues, additional safeguards have been implemented to further secure data for all students and staff.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the District has contracted with a third party to review and evaluate the data and determine which individuals may have been affected. We are moving as quickly as possible to identify the impacted individuals, and we are committed to keeping the community updated on the progress of this project. Once the affected individuals are identified, the District will provide notification letters to those individuals via First Class Mail.

Information related to this incident can be found on the District’s website: https://ccsd.net/district/dataincident/. CCSD students and families are encouraged to report any suspicious activity or share questions related to the incident by contacting the assistance hotline at 888-566-5512 between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.