Cyberattacks Taken More Seriously By K-12 Schools
Teachers in Baltimore County Public Schools knew something was wrong late in the day on Nov. 24 when they began to experience trouble entering grades into the school district’s computer system. Around the same time, the video for a meeting of the district’s school board abruptly cut off.
Both situations were the result of a cyberattack that had hit all of the school district’s computer networks, disrupting online classes for 115,000 students.
The episode was by no means isolated.
Rather, it was just one of several in an uptick of ransomware attacks in which cybercriminals have targeted public schools throughout the United States – from Hartford, Connecticut, to Huntsville, Alabama – since the 2020-21 school year began.
Federal cybersecurity officials say the attacks – which involve thi...