Hardenhuish School, a mixed secondary academy in Wiltshire, has been hit by a ransomware attack. Parents and guardians of the school’s 1,623 pupils were notified of the attack via text message, and the school’s website is still down at the time of writing.
The school said that no personal data had been compromised, but it had reverted to paper-based registers while working to restore its systems with a third-party service provider.
The education sector is increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals. In January, Vice Society leaked confidential data from 14 schools, including students’ personal details.
Six schools and their umbrella organisation were disrupted for weeks after ransomware attacks on the Isle of Wight in 2021. Numerous universities and colleges have also been targeted in recent years.
Rob Bolton, VP EMEA at Versa Networks, commented that the attack highlighted the vulnerability of the education sector to cyber threats. He noted that schools were an easier target for cybercriminals, as they often had limited IT resources compared to other verticals.
Bolton advised victims of ransomware not to give in to attackers’ demands, as payment did not guarantee the return of stolen data and only funded future attacks.
