Scott Gelman reports: An investigation into how Fairfax County Public Schools accidentally shared other students’ private information with a parent during a fall meeting has concluded, Superintendent Michelle Reid said in a letter to families Thursday. The external review, conducted by the law firm Woods Rogers, found that the data breach occurred because the parent…
Category: Education Sector
College of the Canyons alerts employees to third-party ransomware attack
Tyler Wainfeld reports: College of the Canyons is communicating with more than 2,400 affected personnel after an unauthorized data breach through its insurance provider, according to Eric Harnish, a spokesman for the college. Keenan & Associates, a Torrance-based consulting and brokerage firm which has the Santa Clarita Community College District as one of its clients,…
Ransomware cyber attack hits Milton Town School District
On December 18, Milton Independent reported: On Monday, Dec. 11, the Milton Town School District faced a ransomware attack that affected several files on the MTSD server. The compromised files are now encrypted and locked. The school district quickly notified relevant authorities, triggering an immediate response. MTSD is currently collaborating with the VT School Boards…
Employee files compromised after ransomware attack on Campbell County School District
Matthew Dietz reports: The Campbell County School District announced Thursday that it was recently the target of a ransomware incident that allowed an unauthorized person to gain access to employee files. The school district did not specify when the incident occurred. The district said the incident impacted the availability and functionality of its computer network….
Newfound school district still working to recover data after cyber attack
Thomas P. Caldwell reports: Newfound Area School District is recovering from a Nov. 15 cyber breach, described as a ransomware attack because it locked users out, although the unknown hacker did not make a financial demand. Jason Sgro, a senior partner at the Atom Group, the cyber response company based in Portsmouth working to restore…
Why federal efforts to protect schools from cybersecurity threats fall short
The cost of safeguarding America’s schools from cybercriminals could run as high as $5 billion. boonchai wedmakawand via Getty Images Nir Kshetri, University of North Carolina – Greensboro In August 2023, the White House announced a plan to bolster cybersecurity in K-12 schools – and with good reason. Between 2018 and mid-September 2023, there were…