The Florida Department of Education reported a breach of its student financial aid website that may have exposed personal data for approximately 4.9 million individuals. The department detected unauthorized criminal access on Oct. 19, 2026.
The exposed information includes Social Security numbers and other personal details. The Florida Student Financial Aid website handles financial aid, tuition payments, and eligibility for scholarships, grants, or student loans.
The breach appears limited to the Florida Student Financial Aid website and does not affect current financial aid, tuition payments, or eligibility for scholarships, grants, or student loans. The department emphasized that operational aspects of financial aid remain unaffected.
The department said it detected the unauthorized criminal access and activated cybersecurity response protocols immediately after identifying the breach. That response stopped the unauthorized activity and secured the systems. The effort included collaboration with law enforcement and cybersecurity agencies on the response.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Digital Service are assisting the department with its response to the breach. The department described the breach as an ongoing criminal investigation, and it will release further details as it verifies them. No suspect has been publicly identified, nor has the department disclosed the method of intrusion.
The department tells people affected by the breach to watch financial and online accounts, look over statements and credit reports, and consider a fraud alert or credit freeze. It directs people to AnnualCreditReport.com to obtain free credit reports.
The department also refers affected individuals to the Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft resources for support. People can e-mail questions to databreach@fldoe.org, and the department gives contact details for the three major credit bureaus.
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