Ransomware attacks schools: privacy and security disaster for students and parents

Ransomware criminals are wreaking havoc in the US school system by stealing and spreading highly sensitive school documents online. These files, obtained through cyberattacks, range from reports of sexual abuse to cases of abusive parents, suicide attempts and psychiatric hospitalizations. A situation that reached its climax with the dissemination of more than 300,000 files following the refusal of the Minneapolis Public Schools to pay a ransom of one million dollars. This mountain of data included medical records, discrimination complaints, Social Security numbers, and contacts of school employees.

The inability of schools to counter and manage cyber attacks

Although American schools are a prime target for cybercriminals due to their wealth of digital data, these institutions are often inadequate to defend themselves and react promptly and transparently to attacks. This situation is aggravated by the economic crisis caused by the pandemic and increasingly tight budgets. School officials have broken promises to inform individual victims of the attacks, with many families only learning from reporters, the Associated Press said.

The devastating human impact of ransomware attacks on schools

The enduring legacy of ransomware attacks on schools is not found in recovery costs or increasingly expensive insurance policies, but in the suffering of students, parents and staff from having their private data leaked online. Analysts have found a massive amount of information posted online, much of it very sensitive, that can undermine individuals' psyches and hinder their careers. The mother of a 16-year-old autistic girl stressed the impact of these privacy violations, wondering how her daughter would handle letting the world know about her disorder.

School technology resources: a focus on educational tools rather than safety

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have prioritized spending on internet connectivity and distance learning. Security has been overlooked in favor of software that tracks student engagement and performance, often at the expense of privacy and security. Financial resources for cyber security in public schools are also limited and often insufficient. The result is a landscape of vulnerable schools, with victims of attacks feeling "hacked again" and with the nightmare of their private data being leaked online.