An educational vendor whose technology is integrated into numerous public schools in the state of Massachusetts has suffered a data breach that affected 18,476 Massachusetts residents, with some students, families, and staff having their social security numbers and medical records exposed.

The number of ransomware incidents reported by healthcare organizations from 2024 compared to 2023 spiked 32%, according to the “Healthcare Under Ransomware Attack 2025” report by Black Kite Security. This now puts Healthcare as the third most-targeted industry, behind manufacturing and scientific research.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the creation of the Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit (CETU) to “focus on combating cyber-related misconduct and to protect retail investors from bad actors in the emerging technologies space,” according to a Feb 20 press release on their website.