Jerome School District cyberattack shuts Idaho schools after hackers take control of cameras and locks

Hackers took over core building systems

Ransomware attackers hit Jerome School District in Idaho last weekend, forcing all schools in the district to close for two days. The district said it first became aware of the attack on October 17 after teachers reported network problems, and internal alerts began arriving Saturday morning.

The attackers infiltrated district networks and accessed student data, according to Superintendent Brent Johnson. They also gained control of internet connected systems that manage school surveillance cameras, electronic door locks and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

Closures followed safety concerns

Johnson said the compromised systems were essential to keeping students and teachers safe and allowing instruction to continue. That is why canceling classes for all students on Monday and Tuesday was considered the best option. A parent teacher conference night was also rescheduled.

The district, in the Magic Valley region of Idaho about two hours south of Boise, serves about 4,000 students across eight schools, including five elementary schools. Johnson said information technology teams worked around the clock to restore the network and identify what data may have been compromised.

Ransom demand remains unresolved

The district has not said how much student data was taken or which categories were involved, but it said it believes most student data had not been compromised. Johnson said established incident response procedures helped contain the damage and limit hacker access to additional information.

The attackers allegedly threatened to expose stolen information unless the district paid an undisclosed ransom. Johnson said the district was working with cybersecurity experts and its own technical team to try to prevent data from being captured, while describing the effort as an ongoing struggle. He would not say whether a ransom had been paid or was planned, calling the situation delicate and saying he would rather see the attackers prosecuted. Schools were expected to reopen Wednesday.

Sources: Cybernews