Data Security FTC orders Illuminate Education to improve data security after student data breach June 8, 2026 Share By SC Staff Statescoop reports that the Federal Trade Commission has finalized an order against K-12 software vendor Illuminate Education, mandating improvements to its data security measures and prohibiting misrepresentation of its data privacy practices following a 2021 breach that affected over 10 million students. The FTC's order stems from allegations that Illuminate failed to implement reasonable security controls, contributing to a December 2021 cyberattack. A hacker reportedly used former employee credentials to access sensitive data, including email addresses, dates of birth, student records, and health information of approximately 10.1 million current and former students across multiple states. The FTC also alleged that Illuminate ignored security warnings from 2020 and failed to implement adequate access controls, threat detection, and vulnerability management. Furthermore, the company is accused of not notifying some school districts about the breach in a timely manner, with some notifications delayed by up to two years. Instead of a monetary penalty, the FTC order requires Illuminate to establish a comprehensive data security program, practice data minimization, limit data collection and retention, delete unnecessary data, and publicly share compliance records. The order also prohibits the company from making false claims about its data privacy and security practices in the future and requires notification to the FTC of any reportable data breaches. Source: Statescoop SC Staff Related Data Security New Pink cybercrime group targets corporate data using vishing and cloud theft SC Staff June 8, 2026 Pink avoids traditional malware, instead employing voice phishing (vishing) to trick employees into visiting credential-stealing domains. Data Security Spanish hacker Alcasec sentenced to prison for stealing banking details SC Staff June 3, 2026 Spanish hacker José Luis Huertas, known online as Alcasec, has been sentenced to two years and seven months in prison after accepting a plea deal. Data Security Grand Theft Auto V cheat service Atlas Menu hacked, user data exposed SC Staff June 1, 2026 The breach, reported by Have I Been Pwned, exposed nearly 64,000 accounts, including email addresses, usernames, scrambled passwords, IP addresses, and support tickets. Related Events Cybercast Beyond the Hype: The Cybersecurity Trends CISOs are Keeping an Eye on in 2026 On-Demand Event Cybercast Beyond the data perimeter: Why next-generation DSPM is the foundation for modern data security On-Demand Event Virtual Conference Securing the Future of Finance: Strategies to Counter Modern Cyber Threats On-Demand Event Get daily email updates SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news Business Email By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Subscribe Related Terms Bit Block Cipher Byte Ciphertext Cryptographic Hash Functions Data Encryption Standard (DES) Decryption Diffie-Hellman Digital Envelope Digital Signature Standard (DSS) You can skip this ad in 5 seconds