No internet, email or cloud-based services as school locks down attack.
A Kent school has been forced to close due to a ransomware incident.
According to media reports Charles Darwin School in Biggin Hill will be closed for the duration of this week, with staff unable to access emails in school, phones only available for urgent reasons and students’ 365 accounts disabled.
Cloud based information from external providers has apparently not been accessed.
Headteacher Aston Smith has outlined that it is not yet known what data has been accessed. In a statement he said: “We do not know at this point what data has been accessed however we need to state there is the potential for all information held by the school to have been accessed.
“I have been advised that we will be without internet, email and access to other systems in the school for an estimated three weeks and we appreciate your patience and understanding during this very difficult time for us.”
Similar to Other Incidents
Saying the incident could have the impact of what was experienced by the NHS, Transport for London, and other schools and public sector departments in recent months.
“Unfortunately, cyber-attacks like this are happening more frequently despite having the latest security measures in place,” he said. “We may have to take further measures in the weeks ahead based on new information and the progress made to restore our systems.”
Written by
Dan Raywood
Senior Editor
SC Media UK
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.
Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.
