Tanbridge House School in West Sussex, UK, has become the latest victim of a ransomware attack, with the Ransom House group demanding an unspecified fee to prevent it from publishing stolen data on its extortion website. The school’s headteacher, Mark Sheridan, has told parents that no sensitive information has been compromised.
However, the ransomware group claims that its “evidence pack” shows that it has stolen information about staff and students. The attack follows similar incidents at Wymondham College and Guildford County School, which resulted in the Vice Society group publishing sensitive safeguarding reports.
The National Cyber Security Centre has warned of a rise in such incidents since September 2020.
The Department for Education said that it monitors cybersecurity incidents closely and has provided more than 9,500 schools in England with a risk protection arrangement which includes cover for cyber incidents and access to a 24/7 incident response service. It has also provided guidance and support to help prevent and manage cyber attacks.
A survey carried out by the NCSC found that schools in the UK are becoming better prepared to deal with ransomware attacks, with a focus on protecting IT networks and ensuring a quick recovery.
Concerns over the rising number of ransomware attacks have led to a joint committee of lawmakers holding an inquiry into the effectiveness of the UK’s national security strategy in addressing the threats posed by ransomware. The scale of the threat has caused significant disruption, with the majority of the government’s “Cobra” crisis management meetings in response to ransomware incidents rather than other emergencies.
The threat is not restricted to the UK: US educational institutions have also suffered from a spate of ransomware attacks, including systems in the Los Angeles Unified School District and Iowa and Massachusetts.
