Ransomware attacks targeting US school districts, hospitals


The district superintendent said the attack had 'catastrophic' potential, threatening to expose personal information of 540,000 students and 70,000 staff, disrupt classroom instruction and meal services, and paralyse a bus system that takes 40,000 kids to school. — Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG/TNS

SAN JOSE: The hackers struck over Labour Day weekend, penetrating the computer network of the second-largest US public school system. And though Los Angeles Unified School District quickly caught the breach, it has laboured through the week resetting student and teacher passwords to access lesson plans and assignments.

The district superintendent said the attack had “catastrophic” potential, threatening to expose personal information of 540,000 students and 70,000 staff, disrupt classroom instruction and meal services, and paralyse a bus system that takes 40,000 kids to school. It drew calls from the White House and prompted a sobering FBI warning this week to school administrators around the country:

Subscribe now and receive FREE sooka plan for 1 month.
T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Tech News

Emerson proposes to acquire remaining shares of AspenTech at $240 apiece
Data analytics firm Palantir jumps as AI boom powers robust software adoption
Tax fraud investigators search Netflix offices in Paris and Amsterdam, says source
Singapore's Keppel to buy Japanese AI data centre amid AI boom
Tesla increases wages for staff at German gigafactory by 4%
Apple explores push into smart glasses with ‘Atlas’ user study
Japan's Kioxia sees flash memory demand almost tripling by 2028
Hacker gets into woman’s email, changes every password, tries to make purchases
Foxconn says Oct revenue +8.59% y/y, Q4 outlook good
Want to help a friend find love? Give a PowerPoint presentation

Others Also Read