On June 14, 2024, the Association of Texas Professional Educators (“ATPE”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of California after discovering that the organization’s computer network was accessed by an unauthorized party. In this notice, ATPE explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and medical records. Upon completing its investigation, ATPE began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you received a data breach notification from the Association of Texas Professional Educators, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the Association of Texas Professional Educators data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Association of Texas Professional Educators Data Breach?

The Association of Texas Professional Educators data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, ATPE’s filing with the Attorney General of California provides some important information on what led up to the breach. ATPE also posted a website notice explaining the incident and its impact.

According to these sources, on February 12, 2024, ATPE identified unusual activity within its computer network. In response, ATPE secured its network and then began working with third-party cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident.

This investigation ultimately confirmed that an unauthorized party had been able to access ATPE’s network on March 20, 2024. It was later determined that the unauthorized party was able to access certain files containing confidential member information.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, the Association of Texas Professional Educators reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. ATPE completed this process on June 3, 2024. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and medical records. For those members who received a payment from ATPE through an ACH transaction, financial account information may also be subject to unauthorized access.

On June 14, 2024, the Association of Texas Professional Educators sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About Association of Texas Professional Educators

Association of Texas Professional Educators is a membership organization based out of Austin, Texas. ATPE is the leading educators’ association in Texas and the largest independent educators’ association in the United States. ATPE has approximately 90,000 members. The Association of Texas Professional Educators employs more than 88 people and generates approximately $21 million in annual revenue.