MDE Receives National Recognition for Response to Data Breach
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has been named as a finalist for two national awards for its response to a data breach earlier this summer.
MDE is one of six national finalists for the 2023 Granicus Digital Government Award in Trust and Transparency. According to Granicus, the award, “Honors government entities and employees who have embraced modern technologies that drive awareness of community programs, improve citizen experiences, transform outdated processes and inspire civic action.”
In addition, MDE is one of four national finalists for the PR Daily Media Relations Award in Crisis or Reputation Management. According to PR Daily, the award, “Recognizes those who create and cultivate best practices.”
MDE’s award submissions detail how the agency responded to a data breach earlier this summer, in which files on an MDE server were accessed and downloaded by an outside entity. This breach was part of a global cyber-security attack targeting the MOVEit software, used by government agencies and companies around the world to transfer data files.
As part of its response, MDE shut down the impacted server and has since started using a different data transfer software. In addition, the agency identified and notified individuals whose information was compromised. MDE also set up a webpage offering information about the breach, answers to frequently asked questions and free resources for those who were impacted by the incident.
To date there have been no ransom demands, no virus or other malware was uploaded to the MDE server, and MDE is not aware that the data has been shared or posted online.
Winners of the Granicus awards will be announced later this month. For more information, visit the Granicus awards website.
Winners of the PR Daily awards will be announced on Dec. 15. For more information, visit the PR Daily awards website.
About the Agency
The Minnesota Department of Education provides an excellent education for Minnesota students by striving for excellence, equity and opportunity. The agency focuses on closing the achievement gap, supporting high-quality teaching, using innovative strategies to improve educational outcomes, and ensuring all students graduate from high school well-prepared for college, career and life. The Minnesota Department of Education develops, builds and maintains collaborative relationships with schools, districts, libraries and other stakeholders through a wide variety of advisory boards, councils and committees.
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