Accidental data breach at Las Cruces Public Schools discloses vendor social security numbers

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Las Cruces Public Schools now confirms it accidentally sent out an email back in September containing the social security numbers of vendors the district uses.

That email was sent to about 150 district employees, officials said.

Vendors were advised to place a fraud alert on their credit files as a precaution. Those vendors also were told by LCPS to check their credit reports and financial history for any signs of identity theft.

The district said the email was quickly discovered and steps were taken within hours to contain it.

This is the second data protection issue to arise for LCPS in recent months.

The school district is currently grappling with the aftermath of a ransonware hacking attack in October that shut down its entire computer network. The district is currently in the process of scrubbing 30,000 computers in an effort to fully restore service.