Communications of the ACM
Hacker Releases Information on Las Vegas-Area Students After Officials Don't Pay Ransom
A hacker who locked the computer servers of Las Vegas' Clark County School District with ransomware has released documents with stolen private data after officials refused to pay the ransom.
Credit: Clark County School District
A hacker who locked computer servers in Las Vegas' Clark County School District with ransomware released documents with Social Security numbers, grades, and other stolen private data after officials refused to pay the ransom.
The district is the largest known to be hit by hackers during the Covid-19 crisis, and marks an escalation in tactics for hackers who exploit schools heavily dependent on online learning and technology.
Some school districts have made online learning their sole educational option during the pandemic; experts said this compounds the impact of ransomware and attackers' demands.
Threat analyst Brett Callow at cybersecurity company Emsisoft said, "A big difference between this school year and last school year is they didn't steal data, and this year they do."
From The Wall Street Journal
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