Ransomware attack may have obtained data on Corry school staff, students
Personal information on Corry Area School District students and staff might have been exposed in a ransomware attack on the district’s computer network on Oct. 16.
Student and staff names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers and transcript information dating back to 1995 could have been obtained by the cyber attacker, district officials said in a post on the district website at corrysd.net.
The information was stored on a computer server that was targeted in the attack. The attack bypassed the server’s security measures, according to the post.
District officials had thought last week that personal information had not been compromised.
Mask supporters fight back:Group wants Warren County School District to strengthen COVID-19 policy
The district is still working to unravel all of the ramifications of the attack, Corry schools Superintendent Sheri Yetzer said Friday.
School officials have notified and are working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, Yetzer said.
The district website lists consumer reporting agencies that current and former students and staff can contact to protect their identities.
Ransomware attacks, in which cybercriminals encrypt an organization’s data and then demand payment to unscramble it, are a growing scourge in the United States.
Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates dozens of TV stations across the U.S., said Monday that some of its servers and work stations were encrypted with ransomware and that data was stolen from its network.
A ransomware attack on a major U.S. pipeline company, Colonial Pipeline, in May led to gas shortages along the East Coast. The attack was attributed to a Russia-based gang of cybercriminals.
Superintendent-to-be:Northwestern board names successor for John Hansen, who will retire in June
Ransomware payments reached more than $400 million globally in 2020 and topped $81 million globally in 2020 and topped $81 million in the first quarter of 2021, according to the U.S. government.
The attack on the Corry Area School District was first reported by the Corry Journal.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact Valerie Myers at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter@ETNmyers.