Digital Forensics Dispatch

School District Falls Victim to Ransomware

October 24, 2019

Last month, Wakulla County School District in Florida discovered a ransomware attack on their information systems that made their data inaccessible through a layer of encryption. WCTV reported a prompt was displayed on the computer systems seeking a ransom to access their data. The school district was forced to pay the ransom after the attack significantly impacted the district’s transportation program, food service program and library program.

Email accounts on the system were impacted as well; however a digital forensics team worked closely with school district officials to get the email systems restored within a couple of days.

Once it was decided the encrypted data could not be accessed, the district’s insurance company instructed officials to negotiate with the individuals responsible for the attack in order to obtain the decryption key. Ultimately, a deal was reached for an undisclosed amount.

The superintended of the school district stressed the importance of obtaining cybersecurity insurance as well as the need to keep all employees up to date with training and upgrading systems which are responsible for backing up the district’s data.

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