Billericay School, a UK school, was forced to close after a cyberattackaffected systems .
The school informed parents by letter that website is closed to all students, today, Monday, June 3.
Principal Patrick Berry said the cyberattack resulted in being compromised the entire school's IT system and inaccessible due to encryption.
See also: Center Line schools victim of ransomware attack
“While IT support staff are working hard to resolve the issue and have already made significant progress in restoring the required systems, the situation is significantly impacting our ability to operate the school safely and efficiently,” the principal explained.
Mr Berry said the cyberattack was effective, despite the use of firewalls, firmware updates and the implementation of protection.
While the school remains closed, teaching staff will be prepared for alternative teaching methods, without access to resources stored in the school system.
For students in years 11, 12 and 13, all public exams and revision classes will take place as normal. All other classes will resume as normal on Tuesday, June 4.
Mr Berry wrote: "While I understand the additional pressure this will place on families, we need to be confident that the school can operate safely and effectively following this significant critical incident. I will be writing to you again next week to share an update on this incident."
See also: Medusa Ransomware: Targeted Traverse City Schools
Ransomware attacks often target schools
The UK school (Billericay School) did not provide further details about the nature of the cyberattack or say whether any data was stolen. However, the letter refers to system encryption, suggesting a ransomware attack.
Many UK schools have suffered data breaches stemming from ransomware attacks in recent years, with hackers posting stolen data online.
Educational sector: Cyberattack protection strategies
One of the most effective strategies is to educate staff and students about cyberattacks. This can include learning the basics of cybersecurity, understanding the most common attack techniques, and learning best practices for protecting personal and institutional data. For example, it is essential to use strong and unique logins and enable MFA on accounts wherever and whenever possible.
See also: US Department of Education & CISA create council to improve cybersecurity in schools
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Additionally, the use of advanced security solutions, such as intrusion protection systems (IPS), intrusion detection systems (IDS), and antivirus software, can provide significant protection against cyberattacks. These tools can detect and repel attacks before they cause significant damage.
Network segmentation can also help protect educational institutions by preventing a potential attack from spreading to all systems.
Implementing a least privilege policy, which limits access to systems and applications to only those who truly need that access, can reduce the risk of cyberattacks.
Updating all software and applications is also essential, as it fixes potential security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
Finally, regularly backing up important data and implementing disaster recovery plans can ensure that, even if a cyberattack occurs, data can be recovered.
Source: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
