Tag Archive for: board

Ottawa French school board pays ransom to hackers

/in


The board discovered on Oct. 18 that “unknown actors” had gained access to the board’s computer network and took files stored on the server in the main office.

Author of the article:

Jacquie Miller

Publishing date:

Nov 30, 2021  •  11 hours ago  •  2 minute read  •  6 Comments

This file photo illustration picture taken on June 25, 2019 shows a close-up view of a computer keyboard.
This file photo illustration picture taken on June 25, 2019 shows a close-up view of a computer keyboard. Photo by Fred Tanneau /AFP via Getty Images

Ottawa’s French public school board says it has paid a ransom to the hackers who breached its computer system and stole files that included personal information on employees, parents and students.

The Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario has employed cyber security experts to investigate the data breach, the board said in a news release Tuesday.

The board discovered on Oct. 18 that “unknown actors” had gained access to the board’s computer network and took files stored on the server in the main office, said the release.

The board made a payment to the cyber thieves and was told the data had been deleted.

About 75 gigabytes of data was stolen, most of it internal employment and administration issues, said the board. However, the data also included social insurance numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and dates of birth.

Anyone employed by the board after 2000 may have had personal information stored on the server from which the files were stolen, said the release.

The board said it will write to all employees whose personal data may have been compromised within the week and also provide them a free credit monitoring service for two years.

A “smaller number” of current and former students and parents may also have been affected, and will be contacted, said the release.

The release apologized for the incident, saying administrators are taking steps to improve the security of their computer network.

The incident has been reported to police and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

The release from the board did not say how much ransom money was paid to the cyber hackers.

The board paid…

Source…

OTTAWA FRENCH SCHOOL BOARD: Ransom paid to hackers who stole data on employees, parents and students

/in


Ottawa’s French public school board says it has paid a ransom to the hackers who breached its computer system and stole files that included personal information on employees, parents and students.

The Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario has employed cyber security experts to investigate the data breach, the board said in a news release Tuesday.

The board discovered on Oct. 18 that “unknown actors” had gained access to the board’s computer network and took files stored on the server in the main office, said the release.

The board made a payment to the cyber thieves and was told the data had been deleted.

About 75 gigabytes of data was stolen, most of it internal employment and administration issues, said the board. However, the data also included social insurance numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and dates of birth.

Anyone employed by the board after 2000 may have had personal information stored on the server from which the files were stolen, said the release.

The board said it will write to all employees whose personal data may have been compromised within the week and also provide them a free credit monitoring service for two years.

A “smaller number” of current and former students and parents may also have been affected, and will be contacted, said the release.

The release apologized for the incident, saying administrators are taking steps to improve the security of their computer network.

The incident has been reported to police and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

The release from the board did not say how much ransom money was paid to the cyber hackers.

The board paid the ransom because it was the best chance to secure the data, according to an information webpage the board has set up about the cyber hack. The board does not have proof the hackers destroyed the files after receiving the money, but there is no reason to suspect they did not, said the post.

The board began the “network containment” a few hours after the breach was detected on Oct. 18 and since then has spent time trying to determine what data was taken and analyzing the situation, according…

Source…

Torq Appoints Talha Tariq to Company’s CISO Advisory Board | Business

/in


PORTLAND, Ore–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov 2, 2021–

Torq today announced that Talha Tariq has joined the company’s CISO Advisory Board. Talha, currently Vice President & Chief Security Officer at HashiCorp, will advise the company on product direction and marketing messaging, providing key insight into building industry-leading security teams for today’s digital, distributed businesses.

“ Talha has built a dynamic, forward-looking security organization at HashiCorp. His experience with protecting a large, distributed organization and vast customer bases gives him unparalleled insight into how companies scaling in today’s digital-first world can keep their employees, data, and customers safe. We’re excited to have him join Torq’s CISO Advisory Board, ” said Ofer Smadari, Torq CEO.

Torq’s no-code automation eliminates mundane and repetitive work from the lives of security professionals worldwide, unlocking their potential and productivity alike. Torq’s CISO Advisory Board is composed of select industry luminaries who work alongside Torq’s product, security, and marketing teams as they seek to transform the cybersecurity industry from one focused on threats to one focused on people.

“ Teams using Torq benefit from a radical shift in culture. Instead of security engineers and analysts working tirelessly to keep pace with business needs, they can invest their valuable time in innovative, creative work that keeps the whole team operating faster, focused on business results, and the company better protected. It’s a game-changing approach to security automation and operations, ” said Talha.

Talha is the Chief Security Officer at HashiCorp, which provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments. He has 20 years of experience building and scaling security programs from startups to Fortune 100 organizations. Prior to HashiCorp, Talha served as CISO of Anki & FinancialForce, Director of Security Consulting at PwC, and has held various security leadership positions at Microsoft and NCR. He has also led a variety of engagements around the…

Source…

Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board considers revising public participation policy

/in


CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – At the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board meeting Tuesday evening, board members considered revising their current public participation policy, which has been at the center of debate over the summer.

The School Board conducted a first reading of the new policy Tuesday.

Public participation has been an ongoing issue within the district, leading more parents to attend School Board meetings over the last several months, with some even staging demonstrations at meetings.

Public participation

Former Director of Schools Millard House first addressed the growing issue CMCSS parents had with the process of addressing the school board at a meeting on June 8.

At that meeting, House suggested the board view their public address policy at the board retreat, which is scheduled for Oct. 25 and 26.

Tensions continued to rise, and on July 13, about 40 parents staged a protest at a meeting.

While the main purpose appeared to be a demand for transparency on COVID-19 policies, an undercurrent of the parents’ outrage was their inability to address the board on topics not listed on the meeting’s agenda, which included COVID-19 policies.

This led to charged exchange between several parents and board members, who were shouting over members about the difficulties in requesting to address the board.

August’s School Board meeting also was fraught with tension as some parents were cut off mid-address to the board for not keeping their comments limited to relevant agenda items.

In what appears to be a response from the board, an update to the current request form was made on Aug. 10 in the form of a note.

The note reads, “The Board recognizes the value of public comment on the educational issues and the importance of involving members of the public in its meetings. To permit fair and orderly expression of such comment, the Board will provide a period during which visitors may make formal presentations.”

The new request policy also includes this note on the request form, however, goes further to add this statement: “Board members and/or the Director of Schools do not provide responses or engage in direct conversation during public…

Source…