Cyber Incident Victim: Texas Department of Agriculture
Date:
Oct 2017
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A computer security breach at the Texas Department of Agriculture compromised students' personal information, including names, Social Security numbers, and home addresses, through malware detected on an employee's computer. The incident impacted multiple school districts participating in state-administered school meal programs, with initial notifications sent to nine districts and later expanded to 39. Officials confirmed the exposure occurred but found no evidence of misuse, while affected districts reported uncertainty regarding the exact number of impacted students per location due to incomplete disclosure details from the agency.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
In October 2017, the Texas Department of Agriculture experienced a computer security breach involving malware detected on one employee’s computer through daily security monitoring. The agency, responsible for overseeing school breakfast and lunch programs, notified nine East Texas school districts and Harrison County Juvenile Services on an unspecified date in late 2017 that student personal information had been compromised. Exposed data included student names, Social Security numbers, and home addresses. State officials confirmed the breach originated from the infected employee device but did not disclose technical details about the malware or intrusion method. By December 15, 2017—over a week after initial notifications—affected districts including Gladewater ISD, New Diana ISD, Ore City ISD, Gilmer ISD, Harleton ISD, Karnack ISD, Union Grove ISD, and Union Hill ISD still lacked specific information about which students were impacted or how many per district were affected. Gladewater ISD’s superintendent reported receiving an initial estimate of approximately 700 affected students across all notified entities but no district-level breakdowns or follow-up details from the state agency.
The Texas Department of Agriculture stated no evidence indicated misuse of the exposed student information as of December 15, 2017. An updated breach notification revealed the incident ultimately affected 39 school districts, though the agency did not clarify the discrepancy between initial and final counts or provide a timeline for expanded notifications. School districts relied entirely on state officials for breach details, leaving administrators unable to confirm local impact scales or directly notify affected families. The agency did not publicly disclose remediation steps taken beyond malware detection, containment actions for the compromised computer, or whether broader system vulnerabilities were addressed. No additional attacker motives, identities, or data exfiltration methods were revealed by officials or source documentation.