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0 / 29 Fotos
The ubiquity of ransomware attacks
- In 2024, the concept of a ransomware attack is nothing new. Indeed, for as long as valuable information has been stored on computers, ransomware incidents have been occurring.
© Shutterstock
1 / 29 Fotos
What happens in a ransomware attack
- For those not familiar, a ransomware attack is when cyber criminals hack into a computer system that holds valuable, and usually sensitive, data.
© Shutterstock
2 / 29 Fotos
Huge amounts of money involved
- The hackers take control of the system and threaten to share or sell the data if the victim does not pay them a (normally enormous) amount of money.
© Getty Images
3 / 29 Fotos
Attacks on schools
- While ransomware attacks are indeed old news, the type of victims that attackers are targeting does appear to be shifting. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of attacks on private schools.
© Shutterstock
4 / 29 Fotos
Sensitive children's data
- In most cases, criminals hack into the school system and threaten to share sensitive data relating to the pupils on the dark web, if the school does not pay the ransom.
© Shutterstock
5 / 29 Fotos
Recent case
- One of the biggest recent cases involved the Association of Independent Schools in New South Wales, Australia.
© Shutterstock
6 / 29 Fotos
It started with a search
- The case came about when an employee of the school searched online for the education sector’s enterprise agreement.
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
Falling for a fake site
- When she made the search, the top result was a fake site that had been sponsored so it would appear first in the search results.
© Shutterstock
8 / 29 Fotos
Clicking the link
- The employee clicked on the link, and it took her to a ‘honey pot’ website, which was designed very cleverly to look like an online forum.
© Shutterstock
9 / 29 Fotos
Downloading the file
- Once she was in the online forum, the employee downloaded a file that she believed was a copy of the enterprise agreement that had been shared by another user.
© Shutterstock
10 / 29 Fotos
Malware file
- In fact, however, the file was malware, which, once downloaded, allowed the cyber criminals to have access to the school’s system for a period of three days.
© Shutterstock
11 / 29 Fotos
ASD opinion
- According to the Australian Signal’s Directorate (ASD), in this case the access was not used to take over the school’s network.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
The attackers' intentions
- Rather, the ASD believes that the hackers planned on selling the access to another group of cyber criminals who, in turn, would use it for ransomware.
© Getty Images
13 / 29 Fotos
Successful damage limitation
- Thankfully, the Association of Independent Schools managed to isolate the device and contain the issue within the space of two hours.
© Getty Images
14 / 29 Fotos
Potentially catastrophic
- If they had not been alerted to the incident by the ASD, the consequences of the attack could have been catastrophic for the organization and the pupils to whom the data belongs.
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
Lancaster attack
- Another recent attack happened in July 2024 at a school in Lancaster, England. It was the day before they were due to go on break for the holidays. IT staff noticed something peculiar.
© Shutterstock
16 / 29 Fotos
Shutting down the system
- Upon noticing something was wrong, IT began to shut parts of the system down. When they realized something bigger was going on, they shut it down entirely.
© Shutterstock
17 / 29 Fotos
Seeking advice
- Again, in this instance, the school was able to react very quickly, and within an hour they had experts on the phone giving them advice.
© Shutterstock
18 / 29 Fotos
Rebuilding the system
- They had to take down the whole system and rebuild it from scratch with more extensive security measures in place. Thankfully, there was no lasting damage.
© Shutterstock
19 / 29 Fotos
A professional job
- According to sources that were close to the event, it seemed the attack was perpetrated by professionals and that they wanted the school to pay a ransom.
© Getty Images
20 / 29 Fotos
Protective measures
- So, what can schools do to protect themselves against ransomware attacks? Firstly, it is important to install robust backup systems so that data can be quickly recovered in the event of an attack.
© Getty Images
21 / 29 Fotos
Regular audits
- Secondly, schools should conduct regular security audits. These can help identify weaknesses and updates needed for any systems that are vulnerable to exploitation.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
Anti-virus software
- It's also very important to use anti-malware and anti-virus software. This should be updated regularly to ensure that it functions properly.
© Getty Images
23 / 29 Fotos
Training
- Staff and students should also receive training on data security and how to follow the best practices. This should include awareness about phishing attacks.
© Shutterstock
24 / 29 Fotos
Role-based access
- When it comes to sensitive data, schools should introduce a role-based access control system. This will ensure that only authorized persons have access to critical data.
© Shutterstock
25 / 29 Fotos
Password policy
- There should also be a strong password policy and, wherever possible, two-factor authentication should be used to prevent unauthorized access to data.
© Getty Images
26 / 29 Fotos
Disaster recovery plan
- It is also imperative that schools implement a disaster recovery plan, so as to ensure that they can get back up and running again quickly if an attack were to happen.
© iStock
27 / 29 Fotos
Cyber insurance
- Finally, schools should consider investing in cyber insurance policy. The upfront cost can be high, but it will quickly pay for itself if anything does go wrong. Sources: (BBC) (CSO) See also: Understanding common online scams: 30 important examples
© iStock
28 / 29 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 29 Fotos
The ubiquity of ransomware attacks
- In 2024, the concept of a ransomware attack is nothing new. Indeed, for as long as valuable information has been stored on computers, ransomware incidents have been occurring.
© Shutterstock
1 / 29 Fotos
What happens in a ransomware attack
- For those not familiar, a ransomware attack is when cyber criminals hack into a computer system that holds valuable, and usually sensitive, data.
© Shutterstock
2 / 29 Fotos
Huge amounts of money involved
- The hackers take control of the system and threaten to share or sell the data if the victim does not pay them a (normally enormous) amount of money.
© Getty Images
3 / 29 Fotos
Attacks on schools
- While ransomware attacks are indeed old news, the type of victims that attackers are targeting does appear to be shifting. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of attacks on private schools.
© Shutterstock
4 / 29 Fotos
Sensitive children's data
- In most cases, criminals hack into the school system and threaten to share sensitive data relating to the pupils on the dark web, if the school does not pay the ransom.
© Shutterstock
5 / 29 Fotos
Recent case
- One of the biggest recent cases involved the Association of Independent Schools in New South Wales, Australia.
© Shutterstock
6 / 29 Fotos
It started with a search
- The case came about when an employee of the school searched online for the education sector’s enterprise agreement.
© Getty Images
7 / 29 Fotos
Falling for a fake site
- When she made the search, the top result was a fake site that had been sponsored so it would appear first in the search results.
© Shutterstock
8 / 29 Fotos
Clicking the link
- The employee clicked on the link, and it took her to a ‘honey pot’ website, which was designed very cleverly to look like an online forum.
© Shutterstock
9 / 29 Fotos
Downloading the file
- Once she was in the online forum, the employee downloaded a file that she believed was a copy of the enterprise agreement that had been shared by another user.
© Shutterstock
10 / 29 Fotos
Malware file
- In fact, however, the file was malware, which, once downloaded, allowed the cyber criminals to have access to the school’s system for a period of three days.
© Shutterstock
11 / 29 Fotos
ASD opinion
- According to the Australian Signal’s Directorate (ASD), in this case the access was not used to take over the school’s network.
© Getty Images
12 / 29 Fotos
The attackers' intentions
- Rather, the ASD believes that the hackers planned on selling the access to another group of cyber criminals who, in turn, would use it for ransomware.
© Getty Images
13 / 29 Fotos
Successful damage limitation
- Thankfully, the Association of Independent Schools managed to isolate the device and contain the issue within the space of two hours.
© Getty Images
14 / 29 Fotos
Potentially catastrophic
- If they had not been alerted to the incident by the ASD, the consequences of the attack could have been catastrophic for the organization and the pupils to whom the data belongs.
© Getty Images
15 / 29 Fotos
Lancaster attack
- Another recent attack happened in July 2024 at a school in Lancaster, England. It was the day before they were due to go on break for the holidays. IT staff noticed something peculiar.
© Shutterstock
16 / 29 Fotos
Shutting down the system
- Upon noticing something was wrong, IT began to shut parts of the system down. When they realized something bigger was going on, they shut it down entirely.
© Shutterstock
17 / 29 Fotos
Seeking advice
- Again, in this instance, the school was able to react very quickly, and within an hour they had experts on the phone giving them advice.
© Shutterstock
18 / 29 Fotos
Rebuilding the system
- They had to take down the whole system and rebuild it from scratch with more extensive security measures in place. Thankfully, there was no lasting damage.
© Shutterstock
19 / 29 Fotos
A professional job
- According to sources that were close to the event, it seemed the attack was perpetrated by professionals and that they wanted the school to pay a ransom.
© Getty Images
20 / 29 Fotos
Protective measures
- So, what can schools do to protect themselves against ransomware attacks? Firstly, it is important to install robust backup systems so that data can be quickly recovered in the event of an attack.
© Getty Images
21 / 29 Fotos
Regular audits
- Secondly, schools should conduct regular security audits. These can help identify weaknesses and updates needed for any systems that are vulnerable to exploitation.
© Getty Images
22 / 29 Fotos
Anti-virus software
- It's also very important to use anti-malware and anti-virus software. This should be updated regularly to ensure that it functions properly.
© Getty Images
23 / 29 Fotos
Training
- Staff and students should also receive training on data security and how to follow the best practices. This should include awareness about phishing attacks.
© Shutterstock
24 / 29 Fotos
Role-based access
- When it comes to sensitive data, schools should introduce a role-based access control system. This will ensure that only authorized persons have access to critical data.
© Shutterstock
25 / 29 Fotos
Password policy
- There should also be a strong password policy and, wherever possible, two-factor authentication should be used to prevent unauthorized access to data.
© Getty Images
26 / 29 Fotos
Disaster recovery plan
- It is also imperative that schools implement a disaster recovery plan, so as to ensure that they can get back up and running again quickly if an attack were to happen.
© iStock
27 / 29 Fotos
Cyber insurance
- Finally, schools should consider investing in cyber insurance policy. The upfront cost can be high, but it will quickly pay for itself if anything does go wrong. Sources: (BBC) (CSO) See also: Understanding common online scams: 30 important examples
© iStock
28 / 29 Fotos
The rise in private schools being targeted by hackers
A new development in the cyber security sphere
© Getty Images
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of private schools targeted by hackers. In many cases, the hackers take hold of the school's system and threaten to share the pupils' sensitive data unless they receive a huge ransom. For the most part, schools have been able to react quickly and the harm has been contained. But in order to ensure things stay this way, there are certain measures that schools should adopt to keep their pupils' data safe.
Curious? Check out this gallery to find out more.
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