Cyber security concerns in schools after Scranton cyber attack
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Just last week, Scranton School District’s Computer System was hacked and infected with ransomware.
Ransomware commonly infiltrates computer networks either through emails containing attachments, and links that have harmful codes within them, or through attackers identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in outdated or poorly secured networks.
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Once it gains access to the computer network, hackers can lock and freeze access to files, and threaten to share the data they have stolen on places such as the dark web if a payment won’t be made.
“Some law enforcement, police departments, or 911 call centers, they can be targeted, because criminals or hackers, they are motivated to gain money, so using the ransomware attack, freezing the databases, and then they just request the ransom money through bitcoin,” said University of Scranton Director of Cybercrime and Homeland Security Program Doctor Sinchul Back.
As for Scranton School District, they say they are working diligently to restore their system but do not have a timeline at this point.
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