Central Okanagan school district shuts down Gmail access following security breach

Central Okanagan Public Schools has temporarily suspended Gmail access for all students and staff following a breach involving several district email accounts.

The district says four accounts were compromised and used to send a phishing email to students and staff.

The message included a link to an online form requesting personal information from people interested in applying for a job opportunity.

The district says the personal information that may have been exposed includes users’ usual first and last names, along with their district Gmail addresses.

Following its information breach procedures, the district shut down Gmail access while its privacy and cybersecurity team investigates the incident and works to secure the system.

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia has also been notified.

The district says it will make any necessary changes to its procedures and provide additional training to staff and students if required.

Families and staff will receive updates directly as the investigation continues.