Data breach News and Reporting Coverage | WRAL

Only 13% change password within 3 months of data breach notice, study finds

A Garner teen is facing charges after allegedly using someone else's Smoothie King account to order $583 of food items. Authorities say the account was compromised during a 2023 data breach that affected thousands of customers.

Data breach of Smoothie King account costs Ohio man $583: Here's how to protect yourself

A Garner teen is facing charges after allegedly using someone else's Smoothie King account to order $583 of food items. Authorities say the account was compromised during a 2023 data breach that affected thousands of customers.

Attorney General sends demand for answers to PowerSchool over hack affecting NC students, teachers

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said he's sending a Civil Investigative Demand to the company because he doesn't have answers to basic questions about what happened.

Cybersecurity expert warns impacts of PowerSchool data breach may not be over

Dozens of school employees in the state have already received threatening emails claiming to have sensitive data. Experts have advice for how they should react and what steps they should take to protect themselves.

More NC schools may face extortion attempts in PowerSchool hack, expert warns

Dozens of school employees in the state have already received threatening emails claiming to have sensitive data. Experts have advice for how they should react and what steps they should take to protect themselves.

Protecting your data after PowerSchool breach

A December data breach exposed the records of millions of North Carolina students and teachers who had, at one point, used the PowerSchool statewide information system.

PowerSchool breach: Why children are especially vulnerable to data breaches and how to protect them

A December data breach exposed the records of millions of North Carolina students and teachers who had, at one point, used the PowerSchool statewide information system.

After major data breach, WRAL Investigates what NC schools are doing to protect students, staff

New records from DPI about how PowerSchool handled the data breach shows PowerSchool paid a ransom to the hackers and watched hackers delete the data via video.

A hacker's ransom: Inside the cyberattack that compromised NC student and teacher records

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities threatened sensitive student data for millions of North Carolina students. Here's how it happened, how victims can protect themselves from identity theft, and why experts say a threat could still exist.

Emily Walkenhorst and Destinee Patterson, WRAL News

Wake school board declines to move forward with letter supporting PowerSchool investigation

Board members disagreed over whether the letter was needed.

Emily Walkenhorst, WRAL education reporter

North Carolina AG will investigate PowerSchool breach; Wak that exposed teacher, student data

On Thursday, more than a month after the data breach, Wake County schools sent a message to families and staff telling them to look out for a message letting them know if they were among that number.

PowerSchool begins notifying victims of NC school data breach

It's so far unclear how many North Carolina teachers and students will end up receiving a notice, and the extent of the data accessed is also unclear

Wake school system confirms students, staff affected in data breach

The Wake County Public School System is advising those affected to take protective measures, including reviewing financial accounts and placing credit freezes, while planning a transition to a new system in July.

Wake schools respond to nationwide PowerSchool data breach, offer protection steps

The Wake County Public School System is advising those affected to take protective measures, including reviewing financial accounts and placing credit freezes, while planning a transition to a new system in July

All schools, some social security numbers affected by PowerSchool breach, DPI says

All public schools that use or have used PowerSchool's student information system were affected "to some degree" by last month's data breach. Who exactly was affected and what data was exposed is still unclear.

Data of NC students, compromised in breach

Data from the North Carolina's student and teacher information system -- containing personal and private information about the state's schoolchildren and teachers -- was compromised last month.

5 steps to take if you're the victim of a data breach

In October, the government required AT&T to pay $13 million after it allegedly failed to protect its customer's information in a data breach earlier this year. Whether you've been a victim or want to proactively protect your personal information, 5 on Your Side's Keely Arthur is here to help.

Texas Sues GM Over Collection and Selling of Driver Data

The state of Texas sued General Motors on Tuesday, accusing the automaker of collecting detailed driving data on 16 million drivers and selling it to insurance companies without their consent.

Stacy Cowley, New York Times

Cyberattack on NC SBI network under investigation

A cyberattack from May targeted a vendor-managed system of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the agency confirms. It's one of several cyberattacks reported by WRAL News in the last month.

Chelsea Donovan, WRAL reporter

How to safely store personal info online, avoid data breaches

The average person has 168 different accounts online. That's 168 opportunities for hackers to get your data if the business isn't protecting your info.

Shaun Gallagher, WRAL reporter

Cyber attacks expose sensitive information for NC businesses, towns

One wrong click could spell disaster in the sometimes fragile world of cybersecurity.

Personal info on the dark web: Lawsuits claim Advance Auto Parts failed to protect data for millions of customers

A lawsuit claims Advance Auto Parts failed to protect the private information of its employees and customers following a data breach. It's one of at least seven lawsuits the company faces.

Nearly all AT&T cell customers' call and text records exposed in a massive breach

The call and text message records of tens of millions of AT&T cellphone customers in mid-to-late 2022 were exposed in a massive data breach, the telecom company revealed Friday.

By Matt Egan and Sean Lyngaas, CNN

Cybersecurity expert discusses warning about iPhone vulnerability

Trust Wallet, a cryptocurrency wallet company, has raised concerns about a potential scam involving an exploit for sale on the dark web.

How worried should you be about viral iPhone security warning?

Trust Wallet, a cryptocurrency wallet company, has raised concerns about a potential scam involving an exploit for sale on the dark web.

Keely Arthur, WRAL consumer reporter