Members of multiple federal agencies have joined local law enforcement in investigating a cyberattack against the Souderton Area School District that occurred over Labor Day weekend.
District officials notified parents on Sept. 3 that a cyber attack occurred on Sept. 1, creating widespread network disruptions. The release states that district personnel immediately shut down the district-wide computer network and disabled internet connections to avoid further damage.
“The safety of students and staff is our highest priority,” said the school district, via email. “While there will be some inconvenience as we recover critical systems and restore service, there is no threat to the safety of students or staff. Parents should also be reassured that systems containing financial information are housed off-site and have not been affected. We have also contacted and are working with the appropriate authorities."
Then yesterday, the school district sent out another email, confirming that the network disruption was the result of a ransomware attack. Ransomware is a software used by cybercriminals to encrypt or “lock up” files on computers or servers with the goal of making those items inaccessible, according to the school district.
“The district is working diligently with the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service and local authorities, as well as with a specialized cybersecurity firm,” said Souderton Area School District Superintendent Frank T. Gallagher. “Our priority is to remediate the disruption and encryption caused by the ransomware and to restore the district and its services to normal operations as soon as possible.”
Gallagher said that the ransomware is still resulting in disruptions of some of the district’s technology systems, and added that parents should call the school with any time-sensitive issues as teachers have limited access to emails.
“Despite the interruptions to technology, please be assured that teaching and learning remain vibrant in our classrooms,” said Gallagher. “Our students and staff have been exemplary in their response during this challenging time. We are hopeful that full-service operations will be restored soon and are committed to minimizing any disruptions to student learning.”
The school district has declined to comment further on the issue, despite requests for comment from North Penn Now and other media outlets. According to a report by NBC10, these types of attacks have been happening for years, and “can set governments back decades” in some cases.
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