The personal information of about 820,000 students and former students of public schools in New York, the largest system in the nation, was hacked, according to the NBC network, which has confirmed the information with the Department of Education of the city.
It further indicates that the theft occurred last January when hackers managed to break into the online grading and attendance system used by many public schools.
Education officials criticized Illuminate Education, the California-based company behind the system, alleging that it falsified its cybersecurity protocols, the network notes.
The company has not disclosed what, if anything, had been done with the hacked data.
The Department of Education has asked the New York Police, the State Attorney’s Office and the FBI to investigate the hack, which could be the largest theft of student data in US history, according to NBC.