The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has confirmed that social security numbers of employees were leaked as part of a ransomware attack in September. The attack, which struck the district on September 20, locked down the district’s systems for several days as investigators worked to unlock them. Now, the district has revealed that SSNs were discovered to be amongst the leaked data.
The LAUSD stated that “a limited number of Social Security numbers” were exposed in the attack, though it is unknown how many or which employees were impacted. The district is informing the potentially affected individuals, offering them credit monitoring and identity theft resolution services. It is also working to provide them with help filing reports with the Federal Trade Commission, filing a complaint with the California Attorney General’s Office, as well as filing an identity theft report with their local police department.
The ransomware used in the attack is believed to have been NetWalker, a relatively new strain of ransomware that has been increasingly targeting educational institutions. LAUSD is now working with the FBI and other federal, state and local security experts to determine the specifics of the attack and prevent future unlawful attempts on its systems.
LAUSD is one of the largest school districts in the US, serving over 640,000 students in various schools, making this attack particularly concerning. Ransomware attacks targeting educational institutions can be highly damaging, allowing hackers to access sensitive student and employee data, such as SSNs, as well as lockout systems for days at a time.
The LAUSD confirms that SSNs were leaked in its September ransomware attack, and is now working to ensure that all potentially affected individuals are informed and receive assistance in the form of credit monitoring and identity theft resolution services. The district is also working in partnership with federal, state and local security agencies to determine the specifics of the attack and prevent similar attempts in the future.
This Cyber News was published on therecord.media. Publication date: Mon, 23 Jan 2023 18:57:29 +0000