Burnaby school district warns former staff of data breach in cyberattack
Posted November 5, 2026 11:45 am.
The Burnaby School District has issued a letter to former employees, warning them that their personal information may have been exposed after a ransomware attack in September.
In the letter, dated Oct. 26, the district said an investigation has confirmed that cybercriminals copied and stole data and files from its systems.
“The threat actor has threatened to and may have published some of the stolen information on websites used by cybercriminals to distribute unlawfully obtained data,” the letter says.
“As a result, we cannot rule out the possibility that information relating to you has been exposed to unauthorized individuals.”
The district said it has launched an investigation with the assistance of external cybersecurity experts to determine the scope of the incident. As well, it says the matter has been reported to law enforcement and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B.C.
In a notice on its website, Burnaby School District says the cyberincident was discovered Sept. 21.
“This incident initially impacted some of our systems and operations, including internal network services and phone lines,” the notice says.
“Phone service was restored at all schools and across District sites on Sept. 28 and access to MyEducation, including the family portal, was restored on Oct. 1.”
The impacted former employees are being offered credit monitoring and identity theft protection services for 24 months at no cost, the letter said.
The district is also advising those affected to remain alert for suspicious emails, phone calls, text messages, and unsolicited communications. As well, they are advised to review financial accounts for unusual activity.
The investigation is ongoing, the district says.
