HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Henry County Schools is slowly getting back online after an attempt of a ransomware attack kicked the district offline for nearly a month.
The incident, which unfolded over the past three weeks, disrupted the Henry County School District as students and teachers faced disruptions. Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis confirmed that the ransomware attempt orchestrated by a criminal group operating outside of the United States. She assured the public that vital student information remained uncompromised.
The FBI and Homeland Security have been on the case, working alongside the district's network services team to restore access gradually.
In a recent YouTube message to the district, Davis said, "The network services team has continued to make great strides in progress and has been able to restore access to employees to Infinite Campus."
However, cybersecurity experts, such as Dr. Rajiv Garg from Emory University, warn that this incident should serve as a cautionary tale for other K-12 school districts. Garg points out that schools, considered softer targets by hackers, often use outdated systems and lack robust security measures and backups.
"There are more people who are not trained, and they have more devices on the school network. On top of that, the technology in most of these school systems is dated," Garg.
With schools being perceived as easier targets due to limited resources and outdated technology, Garg stressed the urgency for educational institutions to bolster their cybersecurity defenses. He recommended implementing updated security measures, providing training in technology awareness for students, and ensuring that devices on the school network are adequately protected.
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Davis reassured parents and students that the district is taking proactive steps to prevent future cyber threats.
"The district has begun the process of changing passwords for their systems as they bring things back online," she said.
Additionally, due to the disruptions caused by the attempted ransomware attack, students are facing an adjusted final exam schedule.