A UK secondary school has confirmed it has been hit by a cyber incident affecting its IT network.
The Hardenhiish School in Chippenham, Wiltshire, confirmed the attack on Thursday, saying hackers gained access to network infrastructure and demanded a ransom to restore access.
At the time of writing, it is unclear whether the school paid the ransom, but the school said student learning is an absolute focus and is doing its best to restore access to the affected systems. increase.
“We worked with our staff to quickly implement our contingency plans and minimize disruption while we got our systems back up and running,” the statement said. “Our priority is to return to normal service as soon as possible.”
Read more about UK school cyberattacks here: UK schools hit by mass exfiltration of sensitive data
According to Rob Bolton, vice president of EMEA at Versa Networks, the attack highlights the education sector’s vulnerability to cyberthreats.
“Schools typically have limited IT resources compared to other industries, which can make them prime targets for cybercriminals, and they are often easy targets,” the executive said.
“While the disruption was minimal in this case, a ransomware attack on the education sector could lead to school closures and ultimately affect children’s education. It could also affect companies in other sectors, such as being forced to stay home to work.”
Despite these turmoil, however, Bolton believes that the agency does not respond to ransom demands, as paying the ransom does not guarantee the return of stolen data, it only funds future attacks. He emphasized the importance of refraining from giving in.
“Schools must implement advanced security controls to protect against cyber threats […] Detect and resolve security issues quickly. Network segmentation is also an important security control that limits the movement of malware and minimizes the impact of a breach,” Bolton said.
“By prioritizing cybersecurity measures and investing in the necessary resources, schools can reduce the risk of falling victim to cyberattacks and ensure a safe and secure learning environment for their students.”
Attacks on Hardenhuish schools came months after an audit by the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) showed that three-quarters (78%) of UK schools had experienced at least one type of cyber incident It happened later.
