Cybercriminals are attacking schools

Cybercriminals are attacking schools, but it’s not the students that are the victims!

Many schools in Western Australia were hacked last month by cybercriminals and parents were the ultimate target.  Schools warned parents that bank details and signatures might have been stolen.  One school was under a four-day cyber-attack which started on 11 June 2019.

A message from one Principal expressed his “deep regret” for the cyber breach which he said was “highly sophisticated”.[1]

The message from the principle, a Mr Rob Crothers stated:

“Parents who may have provided information relating to accounts from which to take fee payments or to make payments to the school could have been compromised if they were sent by email format. Certainly, anyone who has sent information to the college by email, particularly of a financial nature, would be susceptible to the attack having taken place”.

Cyber Attack ‘Shocks Parents’

One parent cancelled their credit card, and parents have voiced their concern over the attacks.  The schools are in reactive mode at present while the attacks are investigated.

One school is looking into improving its process to mitigate future attacks.

Tips

You should always adopt a proactive approach to Cyber-attacks.

This can include ensuring both staff and parents have some Cyber awareness training so that they know what to look out for and what they should and shouldn’t do on the internet.

Also, with a proactive approach, you will know what to do in case of a cyber-attack and advise accordingly.

Don’t wait for the event to happen; be proactive now.

[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-20/nagle-catholic-school-parents-targeted-in-cyber-attack/11227802

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