Hackers are Targeting Schools U.S. Department of Education Warns

[DooKey]

I knew it was only a matter of time before the hackers started targeting K-12 schools. Dark Overlord is the culprit and they are the same group that attempted to extort Netflix last spring after hacking their production studio last spring. I'd recommend savvy parents contact their school boards and demand increased cyber security on all school district systems.

So far, at least three states have been targeted by the extortion attempt from hackers asking schools to give them money or the group will release stolen private records, according to the department. "In some cases, this has included threats of violence, shaming, or bullying the children unless payment is received," the department wrote in an advisory this week.

 

[beemanit]

for students by students?

 

[Mchart]

No surprise honestly. Most of these school web systems have very bad security practices and a lot of the websites are out of date on the back end.

This is also why i'm of the opinion that moving towards such high-tech based teaching is a fucking scam and is of no value to the kids or the tax payer.

 

[nightfly]

Headline made me think these were kiddies trying to get in and find the upcoming exam answers.

 

[MrDeaf]

Threats of violence and bullying against children?
Wow, these hackers are stooping very low, aren't they...

Conversely, although I do feel sorry for those that are affected, I really do hope they carry out their threats, because it will stir up the hornet's nest.
And I can't wait to see the subsequent wrath of angry parents, capture, with possible lynching of the hackers by special forces, and subsequent fallout that gives bigger budgets to schools, hospitals, police, etc. that will help tighten up their online security.

I would be perfectly happy if schools, hospitals and police would modernize their online security without the need for violence, but I doubt that will happen without some serious prodding by tax payers against their government.

 

[Despotes]

Why don't hackers do something useful and make our credit card debt disappear. That would be nice.

 

[Sikkyu]

Schools: we are being hacked, quickly give us more money indiscriminately,

Rest of us: so what happened to your IT budget before this?

Schools : there is no time to explain, money now plz

 

[nutzo]

Schools: we are being hacked, quickly give us more money indiscriminately,

Rest of us: so what happened to your IT budget before this?

Schools : there is no time to explain, money now plz

This.

Give them more money, and we'll just see higher paid administrators & larger pension, just as always happens.
If any money is left over for IT, they will just give it all to some one with the right connections as a "security" contract, where they'll install 10 year old equipment that is already out of date and unsupported.

 

[Cyraxx]

The fuck is there to steal that is that valuable from school districts? Grades from students? Discipline records?

 

[MrDeaf]

This.

Give them more money, and we'll just see higher paid administrators & larger pension, just as always happens.
If any money is left over for IT, they will just give it all to some one with the right connections as a "security" contract, where they'll install 10 year old equipment that is already out of date and unsupported.

sad to say, but yeah. US Schools are good at squandering money at every opportunity, for some reason.

The fuck is there to steal that is that valuable from school districts? Grades from students? Discipline records?

I think home addresses, birth dates and names of parents are the big ones.
Could use those against poor PIN codes and passwords for credit cards of the parents, me thinks.

 

[Cyraxx]

sad to say, but yeah. US Schools are good at squandering money at every opportunity, for some reason.


I think home addresses, birth dates and names of parents are the big ones.
Could use those against poor PIN codes and passwords for credit cards of the parents, me thinks.

After things like Experian, it's honestly information that everyone has. After Target, after Yahoo, after <insert latest DB hacking> - all personal information the likes of things like Names, Address, Phone number, etc... are public now. This isn't new anymore.

 

[Robenger]

I worked for the largest school district in my state for over a year in their IT department as a field technician. I think our school district was better than most, but not until a senior at a local high school paid a hacker group to DDOS the school during finals week. At that time the way the network was set up the whole district was under 1 IP address so when the attack started it brought down the entire district for a few hours until they realized what was happening.

 

[sfsuphysics]

the password was "pencil" wasn't it?

 

[Frobozz]

The fuck is there to steal that is that valuable from school districts? Grades from students? Discipline records?

Names, addresses, and social security numbers live there too. (in addition to employee data)