Elizabeth Gomez-Patino reports that Weslaco Independent School District was hit with a ransomware attack this morning. A statement from the district reads: The Weslaco ISD computer network has been attacked by ransomware and the FBI is investigating the matter. We do not know the extent of the attack, and we are working to contain the…
Category: Education Sector
Baltimore County executive says school officials are refusing to provide information about ransomware attack
Alison Knezevich and Lillian Reed report: Baltimore County school officials have refused to share information with local police, the county attorney and state information technology experts about the catastrophic cyberattack that hit its systems last month, County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. says. In a highly critical letter sent Friday to schools Superintendent Darryl Williams, the…
TX: Socorro Independent School District’s internal computer network taken down due to virus
Larry Monarrez reports: The Socorro Independent School District has been hit by a computer virus that a spokesman said Friday has prompted their Internet Technology Department to take down the district’s internal network as a precaution until the issue is resolved. No timeline was given as to when the network will be back up and…
NEW CISA Alert: Cyber Actors Target K-12 Distance Learning Education to Cause Disruptions and Steal Data
Alert (AA20-345A) SUMMARY: This Joint Cybersecurity Advisory was coauthored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). The FBI, CISA, and MS-ISAC assess malicious cyber actors are targeting kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) educational institutions, leading to ransomware attacks, the…
Mum’s the word? What are these school districts doing after a recent breach?
On November 15, ABC in Chicago reported that suburban school district Township High School District 211 experienced a security breach in which outgoing emails, phone calls, and text messages had been compromised over the weekend. Parents reported receiving offensive messages, some of which were sexual. On November 20, Patch reported that a teacher’s account in…
TN: Personal information of some University of Memphis employees exposed in security breach
John Klyce reports: A security breach at the University of Memphis has caused private information of certain faculty and staff members to be compromised. In an email obtained by MBJ — dated Dec. 4 and sent to faculty and staff members — U of M CIO Robert Jackson said an individual had hacked into a university email account. While…