Dive Brief:

• The rise in the incidence of ransomware attacks on schools means preparation should include planning for “when” more than “if,” and proper storage protocols can limit the damages in an emergency.
• EdSurge reports schools that have a program in place that backs up files constantly can restore a previous, uninfected version of everything — a time-consuming option, but one that may get a school out of paying the ransom.
• Cloud storage, in concert with file backups, can give administrators, teachers and students access to their files from uninfected devices outside of the network while IT fixes the problem internally and restores the system.

Dive Insight:

Ransomware is a relatively new tactic utilized by hackers in which they get into a system, encrypt as many files as they can and demand payment for the key to unlock the encryption. Because it would take many days to break the encryption internally, organizations often pay the ransom to get their files back. Horry County Schools in South Carolina did just that after a recent attack that got in through a largely unmonitored facilities network and spread through the entire school system.

Criminals who try to gain access with ransomware almost always do so through phishing campaigns, where they pose as reputable sources and ask for login credentials from users. Schools are particularly susceptible because of the wide variety of users, including students, who could provide a link into the entire network.