Haywood County Schools recently experienced a ransomware attack . School officials have notified students and staff that some information has been stolen.
Investigations are already underway and the school has taken all necessary steps to discover how far the breach and to protect those affected.
The attack resulted in the suspension of remote learning in Haywood County schools for an entire week. The problem has now been resolved and classes are continuing as normal. However, Superintendent Bill Nolte says he suspects there may be more behind the attack.
The investigation received state and federal assistance, including the FBI and the National Guard.
"They've told us some things that they know have been breached. But the extent of that breach and what has been stolen is not yet known," Nolte says.
While the investigation is ongoing, Nolte advises employees to remain vigilant.
"We want them to be vigilant in monitoring their own information and accounts, taking whatever measures they believe are appropriate.".
The school community is also taking action.
"What we're going to do is start implementing all the protections that we can implement based on what we know right now for employees, students and staff," Nolte said.
Nolte says that once the investigation is complete, they will be able to release more details about the measures to be implemented.
"We are not in a position to suggest to people exactly what they should do because the forensic investigation is ongoing."
"Every device that's connected to the Internet is vulnerable to some degree," says David Nelson, who runs Haywood Computers in Waynesville.
“Choose complex passwords, always monitor your bank accounts and credit cards,” it advises users. It also says that if you see anything unusual, you should immediately change your passwords and notify your bank.
