Thursday 26 March 2015

School District Shifting Exams Because Ransomware


A US school district has the math and English exams postponed after all kinds of files on the network were encrypted by ransomware. The Swedesboro-Woolwich School District in New Jersey consists of four primary schools, with a total of 2,000 students. The infection affected the entire school system, from e-mail communication and online learning tools to examinations conducted online.

Furthermore, would also files of employees are encrypted. Across New Jersey Online late headmaster Terry Van Zoeren know that teachers and students, because the systems were turned off, went to work as if it was "1981". For example, parents could receive e-mails with the numbers of pupils and other information and it was not possible to use the smart boards, as reports CBS. In a statement on its website allows the school district that the affected files mostly Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PDF files of staff were.

Data of the student information system as well as other applications off-site should be preserved and are not affected by the ransomware. The encrypted files have been restored through a backup, as well as the servers where all the malware was removed. The school district is now working to get the e-mail and other systems in the air again.

According to Van Zoeren would ransomware to "500 bitcoins" ransom asked. An unprecedented sum for ransomware, which usually requires an amount of about $ 500. Possible that this is misunderstood or misinterpreted. How the school district became infected is not reported. In contrast, only explained in the statement how ransomware spreading in general.

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