Tag Archive for: buffalo

Cybersecurity summer – University at Buffalo


BUFFALO, N.Y. —  In a world gone digital, 42 tech-savvy teens came together for a free week of hands-on cybersecurity activities at the University at Buffalo’s GenCyber camp.

This year’s camp, held from June 27 to July 1, marked the return to an in-person event for the first time since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic sidelined the program in 2020, and it was held virtually in 2021.

The goal of GenCyber is to encourage students to pursue career opportunities in cybersecurity, a profession that’s growing in demand as government agencies, businesses and other organizations face growing cyberthreats.

“Professionals with computer security skills are in high demand, making the field an attractive career option,” says David Murray, clinical professor of management science and systems in the UB School of Management. “As data breaches continue to regularly make headlines, the students who learn these skills will have better career options and will be prepared to effectively navigate our world of rapidly evolving technology.”

Each day, a capacity crowd of middle and high school students from 19 area schools learned about a wide range of cybersecurity topics.

The campers heard presentations from industry professionals, built a computer network using credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi computers and defended the network from a simulated cyberattack.

They also learned about Google hacking, HTML, encryption, web servers, system administration, computer virtualization and best practices for passwords.

Students who successfully completed the camp received a certificate of achievement at an awards presentation Friday afternoon.

GenCyber is presented by the UB School of Management, the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the Center of Excellence in Information Systems Assurance Research and Education (CEISARE) at UB, with sponsorship from the NSA, the National Science Foundation and businesses.

Students who successfully completed UB’s 2022 GenCyber camp are:

Spencer Brace of Amherst High School; Abigail Smith and Olivia Smith of Buffalo Seminary; Siddharth Honwad and Emma Zhang of Casey Middle School; Etienne Bohlen, Duncan Schiff, Tristan Tortora, Sebastian Wick-Panek and Casey…

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Buffalo Public Schools working to resolve ransomware attack


The school district posted on Twitter Saturday morning saying it’s working with “technology industry experts and law authorities to resolve the ransomware event.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Public School District says it’s still working to resolve problems connected to a ransomware attack on its computer system Friday.

The school district posted on Twitter Saturday morning saying it’s working with “technology industry experts and law authorities to resolve the ransomware event.” 

The Buffalo Public School District went on to say that it continues to work on protecting its information systems and will provide updates as “progress is made toward Monday’s school day.”

Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash told reporters Friday that if the situation is not resolved over the weekend school may be canceled next week. All remote instruction was cancelled Friday as a result of the ransomware event. 

According to Cash, the school district approved a $40,000 emergency contract with Grey Castle for a cyber security investigation. The FBI is also assisting the district.

School officials say no demands have been made at this time; however, they say the FBI believes the ransom may be between $100,000 to $300,000 and could be negotiable.

“This could have a significant impact on our operations going forward into next week,” Cash said. “We are hoping that we can solve this issue this weekend. We will be bringing the consultant on site and getting to work right away, but it may take time, and we just don’t know until we know exactly the depth and the breadth of the problem.”


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Buffalo Public Schools targeted by ransomware attack, could cause school cancellation


Dr. Kriner Cash said if the situation is not resolved this weekend, some school may be canceled next week.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Public Schools canceled all remote instruction Friday after the district said their school computer system suffered a ransomware event.

The district put out a statement early Friday morning, saying there was an “unanticipated interruption” in the network systems.

“It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this place and time, where our school district is attacked by criminals, and we are subject to their demands,” Buffalo Public Schools board president Sharon Belton -Cottman said.

Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash said they’ve disconnected systems from the internet and added that they are trying to contain the attack and assess the situation. He said they’ve approved a $40,000 emergency contract with Grey Castle for a cyber security investigation.


The district said at this time no demands have been made, but the FBI has found that ransom may be between $100,000 to $300,000 and could be negotiable.

The FBI is assisting the district. The district is also getting help from cybersecurity consultants from as far as Atlanta and from major corporations such as M&T Bank, Cash said.

“With regard to this particular ransomware attack, it encrypted our data files, so it has handicapped us in terms of being able to access our system,” according to BPS chief technology officer Myra Burden.

Dr. Cash said it was important to spread the message Friday evening because if the situation is not resolved this weekend, school may be canceled next…

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