A cyberattack on the vast Los Angeles Unified School District over the Labor Day weekend led to a massive shutdown of its computer systems and major disruptions to activities but not classes.
The institution, which is the second largest in America, called the cyberattack a “significant disruption to our system’s infrastructure.” Authorities however said they did not expect major disruption to classes or services such as transportation and food. It stated that business operations could be deferred or altered.
“Los Angeles Unified detected unusual activity in its Information Technology systems over the weekend, which after an initial review can be confirmed as an external cyberattack on our Information Technology assets,” the district said in a statement released Tuesday, adding that the attack had been reported to law enforcement.
Since then, U.S. government agencies are on high alert, with a public advisory published on Tuesday claiming that a ransomware gang called Vice Society, which emerged last year, has “disproportionately targeted” the education sector with ransomware attacks. It also predicted that such attacks would increase in the school year 2022-23, since ransomware groups see the attack as a chance to launch more.
The White House also said it informed the district about the attack, which forced 540,000 students and 70,000 district employees to change their passwords.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.