Alarming Report Details why Cybersecurity in Schools is so important

Ransomware has been a critical cybersecurity issue for years now. It impacts industries such as critical infrastructure, hospitals, computer manufacturers and schools, to name a few. In a recent report from NBC News, horrifying details of how a ransomware attack was responsible for leaking student’s most sensitive information on the internet, to anyone who can find and pay for it were revealed.

According to the report, the compromised school district had an Excel sheet titled “Basic student information” posted to the dark web after they refused to pay a ransom. Kevin Collier, the author of the NBC article, noted that “it lists students by name and includes entries for their date of birth, race, Social Security number and gender, as well as whether they’re an immigrant, homeless, marked as economically disadvantaged and if they’ve been flagged as potentially dyslexic.”

The school knew of the attack, and informed parents. Insurance covered identity theft protection for staff, but it is unknown if the protection was extended to students.

The seriousness of a student having their social security number, birthday or name sold to the highest bidder cannot be understated.  The NBC report tells a story of how these types of leaks caused one student to have someone attempt to get a credit card and car loan using a student’s name.

The report also cites Eva Velasquez from the Identity Theft Resource Center, who suggests to parents that they freeze their kid’s credit to keep them safe from identity theft.

“It is a solemn responsibility that schools have to care for kids, so they collect a lot of data with that,” an expert at a non-profit for protecting school’s IT systems said to NBC.  The report detailed that 1,200 schools’ info had been published due to ransomware attacks this year, suggesting schools aren’t effectively keeping their student’s data safe. 

For a few tips to help protect against ransomware, check out our blog.

Story via The Verge