Florida Department of Education reports data breach

The Florida Department of Education is warning millions of families to keep an eye on their personal data. Hackers recently breached the department's student financial aid website. Fox 13's Erin Mesmer is live in our newsroom. So first of all, Erin, do we know, like, the scope of this breach yet? Well, Linda, according to the Florida Department of Education, data for nearly 5 million people... May have been compromised in this. The investigation is, of course, still underway. But what we know right now is that a hacker gained unauthorized access to the state's student financial aid website. It's unclear right now how that happened. However, the department says personal information, including Social Security numbers, were compromised. We're told the financial aid provided by the state to families is not at risk and will continue. But again, nearly 5 million people may have had their data compromised. And in a statement to Fox 13, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education wrote, quote, the security of student and family information is a responsibility we take seriously. The department acted swiftly to stop unauthorized access, contain the breach, and secure its systems. We are working with our state partners to address this incident and determine its full scope. The department says there may be some disruptions to the financial aid website as a result of its cybersecurity response. And it's also urging families to monitor their financial accounts for suspicious activity, to review account statements and credit reports, and consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with major credit bureaus. Linda. All right. Boy, that's a lot of work for some folks. Erin Mesmer reporting live. Thanks.