Sen. Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield) is again demanding that the state legislature take cybersecurity seriously in the wake of a cyber attack aimed at PowerSchool Student Information, a system used by school districts across the country and internationally to store student and teacher data.
“I urge PowerSchool and Connecticut’s cybersecurity officials to diligently keep at-risk schools, teachers and parents fully informed,” said Hwang in a statement released today. “If critical personal information was compromised, people need answers and guidance as soon as possible.”
Several Connecticut school districts have already released statements regarding the data breach, with districts such as Milford, Wallingford, Regional School District 16, Regional School District 1, and East Hartford confirming that they have been impacted by the attack. The total number of districts that have been impacted by the breach is unknown, but likely to rise as PowerSchool completes its own internal investigation, an official report of which is expected to be released to impacted schools on Jan. 17.
Hwang has repeatedly pounded the table for greater legislative attention towards cyber threats, raising the issue twice last year after AT&T’s security breach last summer and after Access Health’s breach last May. Yesterday, Hwang introduced a bill for the sole purpose of creating a Cybersecurity Task Force, a bill which he first introduced in 2019. Although a Cybersecurity Task Force was created last year, after being signed into law in 2023, Hwang was the only appointed member, and the task force never convened.
“I have noted in the past that the State of Connecticut needs to be more proactive in addressing cybercrimes and responding to data breaches,” said Hwang. “The Cybersecurity Task Force I was appointed to? That panel was never convened by the Democrat majority. They never met to address and work to prevent these data breaches. That’s inexcusable.”
Hwang has stated in the past that he wants a task force to bring together legislators and Connecticut tech industry leaders to work in tandem with law enforcement and the Department of Public Safety in finding ways to upgrade Connecticut’s cybersecurity.
While past attempts have failed, only time will tell whether Hwang’s renewed push will succeed this session. The Legislature’s Committee on Energy and Technology, the most pertinent committee to address legislation regarding cybersecurity, convened for the first time today, but cybersecurity was not mentioned once, with committee members primarily speaking about the importance of increasing energy affordability.
“I stand ready to work with federal, state, and local cybersecurity experts to prevent future breaches,” said Hwang. “We can do much more to protect consumers, businesses, schools and families from the insidious threats of hackers that have grown more and more active recently.”
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