Student Applications: How an Education Software Company Exposed Millions of Files

UpGuard has discovered a Google Cloud Storage bucket containing roughly 1.5 terabytes of data, used for managing funding applications for college students. The bucket, owned by software provider SmarterSelect, contained around 2.8 million files, with documents including transcripts, resumes, personal essays, tax returns, and invoices linked to about 1.2 million applications. After notification from UpGuard, the public access to the bucket was restricted. Details within the bucket carried personal and sensitive information of applicants, highlighting the risk of data collection and retention.