DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Updating the Maze attack on Fairfax County Public Schools

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Dissent

In September, 2020 Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia was hit with Maze ransomware.The attack was announced on Maze’s dedicated leak site in early September, and after multiple queries by this site, FCPS issued a statement confirming that they had been attacked.

One month later, the threat actors started dumping some data on their leak site. Shortly thereafter, the data was removed, leading to speculation that FCPS had paid ransom for the removal of the data. The district never made any public statement about whether they had paid ransom, but FCPS data was never reuploaded to Maze’s leak site and no additional data was ever dumped.

On November 9, FCPS notified the Maine Attorney General’s office of the breach, reporting that 19,653 people were impacted. They also notified their community that since their initial community notification about the breach in September, they had identified more people who would be receiving notification letters.

This week, FCPS filed a new report indicating that they had notified people of the breach on January 21. Now their estimated total number of people affected by the Maze attack was listed as 172,128. Based on the district’s census, that number likely reflects both students and employees.

DataBreaches.net sent an inquiry to FCPS asking them if they had paid ransom to the attackers, if the attackers had ever given them a copy of all data exfiltrated, and if they had found any evidence that any of the data had shown up on anywhere on the dark web or clear net, other than the original data dump sample the attackers had dumped in October and then removed.  No response to the inquiries has been received by the time of this publication. This post will be updated if a reply is received.

 

 

Related posts:

  • Maze Team continues its campaign of naming, shaming, and dumping victims’ data while other attackers adopt the same model
  • Fairfax County Public Schools confirms it was a victim of cyberattack
  • Privacy nightmare for Toledo Public Schools: Hackers dumped student and employee data
  • Maze attacking some of the country’s largest school districts
Category: Commentaries and AnalysesEducation SectorMalwareOf NoteU.S.

Post navigation

← In a year of supply-chain attacks, do you have your business associate agreements in place?
Mandiant issues final report on its investigation into Accellion breach →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Ex-student charged with wave of cyber attacks on Sydney uni
  • Detaining Hackers Before the Crime? Tamil Nadu’s Supreme Court Approves Preventive Custody for Cyber Offenders
  • Potential Cyberattack Scrambles Columbia University Computer Systems
  • 222,000 customer records allegedly from Manhattan Parking Group leaked
  • Breaches have consequences (sometimes) (1)
  • Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty for Hacking a Non-Profit
  • British national “IntelBroker” charged with causing $25 million in damages; U.S. seeks his extradition from France
  • France issues press statement about arrest of ShinyHunters members
  • Patients Allege Home Delivery Pharmacy Failed to Timely Notify Them of Data Breach
  • Hackers breach Norwegian dam, open valve at full capacity

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Nestle USA Settles Suit Over Job-Application Medical Questions
  • NY Attorney General James Affirms Hospitals Must Provide Access to Emergency Abortion Care
  • How Internet of Things devices affect your privacy – even when they’re not yours
  • Sky Views Personal Data as a Potential Weapon in IPTV Piracy War
  • Florida Used a Nationwide Surveillance Camera Network 250 Times To Aid in Immigration Arrests
  • Federal Court Strikes Down HIPAA Reproductive Health Care Privacy Rule
  • The Markup caught 4 more states sharing personal health data with Big Tech

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.