Is My Personal Information Protected on the FASFA Application

If you've been receiving increased data-breach notices from companies, healthcare networks or even government agencies, you are not alone. In a study published by the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), there were 2,365 breach incidents reported in 2023 alone – impacting over 350 million total victims. If that’s not staggering enough, there have already been 1,571 data breach incidents reported in the first half of 2024. That’s a 14% increase compared to the same period last year. The need for cyber security protection is at an all-time high and internet users should take all precautions when sharing sensitive information.

The FAFSA application is a particularly vulnerable opportunity for scammers to lure in potential victims with around 17.5 million FAFSA applications submitted each cycle, all containing highly sensitive personal and financial information.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) employs several security measures protecting the personal information of applicants. Here’s an overview of the key measures:

1. Encryption: FAFSA uses encryption to protect data transmitted over the internet. This means any information you submit is encoded during transmission to prevent unauthorized access.
2. Secure Login: To access the FAFSA form, you must create an FSA ID. This involves a secure login process with a username and password. The FSA ID also requires multifactor authentication for added security.
3. Data Storage: Personal data is securely stored on servers with advanced security protocols to prevent unauthorized access. Access to this data is restricted to authorized personnel only.
4. Regular Security Audits: The FAFSA system undergoes regular security audits and updates to address any potential vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with best practices in cybersecurity.
5. User Education: To help users protect their own information, the FAFSA website provides guidance on recognizing phishing attempts and other potential security threats.
6. Secure Connections: FAFSA ensures its website uses secure connections (HTTPS) preventing data from being intercepted during online submission.

These measures are designed to safeguard your personal and financial information throughout the application process, but it doesn’t stop there. You can take additional steps on your own to safeguard sensitive information. Here’s a list of suggested measures from the Department of Education:

• Make sure you’re using the most current version of your browser. It recommends all applicants follow the Department’s browser requirements to protect your FAFSA information with the strongest encryption possible.
• For added security, completely close the browser after you finish using the online FAFSA form.
• To safeguard your information and prevent another user or potential hacker from viewing what you’ve entered, clear the cache memory after you complete the FAFSA form on any device. This will ensure website data is removed from the system’s temporary files and private information cannot be accessed.

Because of the various security measures in place, the level of risk to you and your personal data from filling out and submitting a FAFSA form is relatively low. However, the FAFSA is not ironclad. In 2016, scammers used a tax data retrieval tool integrated within the FAFSA application to access applicants tax information. As a result, thousands of fraudulent returns were filed with stolen tax refunds amounting to almost $30 million.

When sharing any personal or financial information online, it’s best to take all the steps possible to protect that information. If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. If you do fall victim to a scam or data breach, immediately contact all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) to freeze your credit and sign up for a credit monitoring service. Monitoring services are often provided by companies who experienced a data breach as a free service for victims.

When it comes to cybersecurity, there is no sure-fire way to avoid all risks, but utilizing varying degrees of protection such as those used for the FAFSA and taking additional steps on your own will dramatically reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

Sources:

2023 Annual Report | IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER

ITRC 2024 Data Breach Analysis | IDENTITY THEFT RESOURCE CENTER

FAFSA Data Breach & Your Taxes | H&R Block blog

Privacy Policy for StudentAid.gov | U.S. Department of Education

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