SockAnalystFlorida's student financial aid website breached, about 4.9 million people's data at risk
What happened
The Florida Department of Education says hackers breached its student financial aid website (FloridaStudentFinancialAidSG.org), the hub for the state's scholarship and grant programs. It found the intrusion on October 19 and says it's contained. The department hasn't said how attackers got in, and no group has publicly claimed it. The Florida Digital Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are helping with the response.
Who's affected
About 4.9 million people, potentially anyone who has applied for Florida state financial aid in the past. Data that may have been accessed includes names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and gender codes. Not everyone's data was necessarily affected.
✅ Fix / patch
- If you or your kids ever applied for Florida state aid, freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It's free and stops new accounts being opened in your name.
- Watch for the department's notice, and treat any calls, texts or emails about the breach or 'scholarship refunds' as suspect until you confirm them on the official site.
- Check your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com and set up an IRS Identity Protection PIN, since exposed SSNs are often used for tax refund fraud.
🔎 Quick hunt check
For schools and colleges that handle Florida aid: watch for phishing emails and help desk calls that quote student SSNs or dates of birth to sound legitimate, and flag password resets or direct-deposit changes requested by callers who 'verify' with that data.
⏱ CISA deadline
Not in CISA KEV as of Nov 3, 2026.