There has been an increase in cyberattacks on Delaware County schools so efforts are underway to keep districts protected, writes Justin Udo for KYW Newsradio.
“Not only are they increasing in quantity, they’ve also become more sophisticated,” said Khalid Ayyubov, chief information and technology office of the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. “Some attacks make it to the news, some don’t, but we see attacks happening.”
Ransomware attacks, particularly, are on the rise.
Ransomware infects a network, encrypts files, including student records and financial files, and makes them inaccessible. The files are held hostage until a ransom is paid.
“One student record currently costs a few hundred dollars on the dark web, so stealing thousands of those records at a time can be a pretty appealing business for cybercriminals,” Ayyubov said.
The technology office of the Intermediate Unit is working with the school districts to build their defenses.
“We set up a really interesting meeting with the FBI’s cyber team and share their vision on what school security should look like, and what they see in the field,.” Ayyubov said.
He said it’s critical for schools to perform a comprehensive cybersecurity audit to reveal any shortcomings.
Find out more about a wave of cyberattacks on Delaware County schools at KYW Newsradio.
