Further to the updates provided in January and February 2025, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) has received new information regarding the PowerSchool Data Breach.

In May 2025 PowerSchool notified customers that a cybercriminal had contacted some PowerSchool Student Information System customers, such as school districts, as part of the ransomware attack. The GNWT is not aware of any Northwest Territories clients being contacted.

What to do:

• If you have been affected by the breach and you are asked for ransom do not engage or respond to these requests from the cybercriminal.
• If you receive this type of email, you are encouraged to send it to the Government of Canada Cyber Centre https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/ransomware. Do this by attaching the cybercriminal’s email as an attachment instead of just forwarding it. You can also notify your Education Body if you receive this type of email.
• If you have not already done so, register for credit and identity protection services offered by PowerSchool. Deadline to register is May 30, 2025. 
  The Government of Canada strongly discourages paying ransom, as it supports the ransom business model and increases the risk and likelihood of this continuing. 

 The GNWT will continue to share PowerSchool’s updates and providing guidance on cybersecurity best practices. Updates will be published at: https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/services/powerschool-cybersecurity-incident

PowerSchool is the Student Information System used in the NWT’s Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools. Jurisdictions, including the NWT, use reputable companies for this information management and conduct privacy impact assessments.

If you have questions, please contact the Department of Education, Culture and Employment at educationoperations@gov.nt.ca

For media requests, please contact:
ecepublicaffairs@gov.nt.ca
Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the Northwest Territories