Cyber criminals hit Midlands Technical College computers Wednesday. They inserted a virus that could have affected the entire college system.. Officials shut down the system to prevent the virus from being spread. For several hours, administrators, faculty and students could not use email or online classes, Midlands Tech spokesperson Stefanie Goebeler told The State newspaper….
Category: Education Sector
Data Breaches and Educational Institutions
Marjorie Spivak, Taylor Ey, and Liz LeVan Riley of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP write: Consider these five steps during your summer break to address the protection of confidential information and combat cybersecurity risks before the start of fall semester. 1. Information Assessment: Identify what data your institution holds, how it is used, how is…
University of Alabama warns of computer breach at Brewer-Porch center
Tuscaloosa News reports: The University of Alabama says a 2009 computer security incident involving a server for Brewer-Porch Children’s Center may have exposed some personal information for about 1,400 former clients, employees and medical providers. In June, staff preparing an old server for disposal discovered unauthorized login activity between Oct. 24, 2009, and Dec. 9,…
Monroe City School Board addresses computer system debacle at board meeting
KNOE in Louisiana reports: The Monroe City School district’s computer system shut down last week. According to Superintendent Dr. Brent Vidrine, the system is back up and running, but others are still confused about what happened to the system in general. Parents, teachers, and faculty members expressed concerns at the school board meeting on Tuesday….
Cyberattacks like Coventry intrusion inflict deep harm at schools
Michael Melia of AP reports: Over six weeks, the vandals kept coming, knocking the school system’s network offline several times a day. There was no breach of sensitive data files, but the attacks in which somebody deliberately overwhelmed the Avon Public Schools system in Connecticut still proved costly. Classroom lesson plans built around access to…
University of Nebraska-Lincoln offering identity protection after laptop with personal information stolen
Chris Dunker reports: More than 900 current and former employees of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources have been offered identity theft protection after a laptop containing their personal information was stolen overseas. Thieves made off with the laptop of a consultant who helps manage IANR’s employee retirement benefits while that…