Baltimore Baltimore County Public Schools

History

2020: Ransomware Virus Attack

Baltimore At the end of November 2020, the public schools of the district (Maryland USA ,) were forced to cancel classes due to the attack. virus extortioner According to local reports, the virus has disabled the entire school system network. The form virus of the driver used in the attack was not disclosed, but it is known that hackers they demanded a ransom.

Local law enforcement and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation were called in to investigate. A report by state auditors found that the BCPS network and, in particular, confidential personal information of schoolchildren and employees were not adequately protected from hacker attacks.

Baltimore schools cancel classes due to ransomware virus attack

This cyberattack is not the first time that computer networks in Baltimore have been targeted by ransomware viruses. In May 2019, public services in Baltimore did not work for several weeks after the Robinhood virus attack, which managed to spread throughout the city network and disconnected all systems from payment services to police and television networks. Last time, hackers demanded 13 bitcoins worth $100,000 for a decryption key.

The ransomware attack on Baltimore County public schools proves that the education sector remains a lucrative target for cybercriminals, and the industry as a whole should consider more progressive security measures as institutions adapt to virtual learning, said Mike Riemer, head of security development at Pulse Secure.

The security chief of the intelligence company LogRhythm, James Carder, noted that school districts are still the main target of ransomware attacks, especially on holidays, when many schools forget to support security measures. He noted that due to the pandemic, schools across the country are switching to e-learning, which is why they are becoming an even more tasty goal.^[1]

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