Another Long Island school district may have fallen prey to a ransomware attack. Superintendent Jordan Cox informed parents of the Commack School District in a message Wednesday. “We have contacted federal, state and local authorities, including Homeland Security, and we are working closely with our Cyber Insurance carrier,” Cox wrote. “Ransomware such as this is…
Category: Education Sector
Taking down a ransomware hacker
An FBI investigation into a criminal ransomware gang believed to be tied to Russia led to a Canadian government employee in Gatineau, the largest cryptocurrency seizure in Canadian history and hundreds of victims around the world. Roxanna Woloshyn, Marie-Maude Denis and Linda Guerriero report: In the early morning hours of Jan. 27, 2021, two police…
Students will retake SATs after their completed exam sheets blow off UPS truck
Shelby Kapp reports: El Paso High School students’ SAT scores were compromised after they flew out of a UPS truck. The El Paso Independent School District says staff recovered all but 55 SAT sheets. “El Paso ISD is working closely with the College Board to determine a remedy for the El Paso High School students…
NY: Attempted cyberattack leads to internet shutdown at Albany schools
Kathleen Moore reports: The Albany City School District’s computer systems were repeatedly attacked over the weekend, but school officials said no data was stolen. However, the technology team cut off the district’s connection to the internet on Sunday in response to the attacks. Teachers and students were advised Monday that they could not use the…
AU: Hacked state government contractor says stolen data yet to be posted online
Ashleigh McMillan reports: A technology company working for the Victorian government says none of the data stolen by hackers on Thursday has been released online so far. PNORS Technology Group works with six state agencies, including the Education and Training Department, and stores sensitive personal information about families with children in primary schools, such as…
CT: Brookfield admits ‘blackout pen’ error led to sharing of special education students’ information
Trevor Ballantyne reports: School officials this week acknowledged a failure to properly redact personally identifiable information linked to students receiving special education services from the school district. According to emails obtained by The News-Times, parents accused the district of violating privacy protections laid out under the U.S. Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA,…