National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) has recently identified a security breach. This breach, affecting higher education institutions across the country, potentially includes Monterey Peninsula College, which partners with NSC for federally mandated enrollment certifications and transcript services. It is important to note that no systems operated or maintained by Monterey Peninsula College were breached, as this incident is localized to the National Student Clearinghouse systems.

At this time, the extent of the breach and the specific impact on MPC students remains unclear. However, it is important to acknowledge that some of the data maintained by NSC includes personally identifiable information. NSC is currently conducting a comprehensive investigation to determine the scope of the breach and identify the affected individuals. Once NSC completes their investigation, they will promptly notify any impacted students.

While we await further updates from NSC, there are a few commonplace recommendations that you can take to safeguard your information.

• Monitor credit cards and bank accounts: Regularly review your accounts and promptly report any suspicious activity to your financial institution.
• Learn about fraud alerts and credit freezes: Learn about proactive measures that can help safeguard against identity theft or misuse of your personal information if it was compromised. Further information on these measures can be found at: [https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-fraud-alerts].
• Exercise caution with suspicious emails or communications: Refrain from opening or clicking on links in emails, texts, or messages from unknown individuals. Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their tactics.
• Update passwords: It is advisable to create longer passwords. Always use unique passwords for each website or application you access. Whenever possible, enable Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) for an added layer of security.

The safety and security of MPC student information is extremely important to us, and we will continue to update this page as additional information becomes available. In the meantime, more information may be found on the NSC website https://alert.studentclearinghouse.org/