Kara Arundel reports:
… Ransomware — where threat actors use malware to block access to network systems and then demand payment to unlock it — has been ballooning in the K-12 sector over the last seven years, according to the K12 Security Information eXchange. Known as K12 SIX, the national nonprofit helps protect schools from cybersecurity threats.
An estimated 325 ransomware attacks hit public K-12 schools between April 2016 and November 2022. From that date through Oct. 3 of this year, schools have experienced another some 85 ransomware attacks, according to K12 SIX.
393% The increase in the number of ransomware attacks on K-12, from 14 in 2016 to 69 in 2022, according to data from K12 SIX.