Cyber-crime

Meanwhile, 13 schools in Wales affected by separate attack

An Illinois high school won't reopen until Wednesday at the earliest after suffering a ransomware attack on Sunday, June 7.

Evanston Township High School (ETHS), located 14 miles north of Chicago, said it would be closed today and tomorrow, and that the closure also affected summer school, sports camps, and on-campus activities, which are all canceled.

"Upon discovering the incident, we immediately activated our incident response procedures and engaged external cyber breach attorneys and cybersecurity forensic experts to assist with the investigation and recovery process," ETHS said in a statement issued via a dedicated information page. 

"We are working with these specialists to determine precisely what information may have been accessed or acquired and to restore normal systems operations as quickly as possible. The district is cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of the ongoing investigation."

It said that phone systems are down and staff have limited access to emails. Children and their families may also not be able to access certain online resources, all of which suggests the institution may still be in the containment phase of remediation.

Among the online resources currently offline is Home Access Center, which is powered by PowerSchool. PowerSchool itself was was at the center of a cybersecurity disaster in late 2024. However, ETHS has not linked the platform to the ransomware attack.

All staff other than safety and operations workers were told to work from home, although their work will be limited since, for the time being, they're locked out of the district's Google accounts and "other network systems, including eSchool."

"We understand this situation is disruptive and appreciate your patience and flexibility," ETHS went on to say. "Additional updates and instructions will be provided as they become available."

No major ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the intrusion at the high school yet.

Education under attack

The ETHS incident follows a separate attack on the education sector disclosed on June 4 that affected 13 schools in Powys, Wales.

Powys Council set up its own information page about the attack, although it has not revealed much, saying it is awaiting the outcome of investigations by external specialists.

However, it said the attack has affected "some school systems" and personal data belonging to both staff and pupils was accessed.

The council identified 13 affected schools, although the compromised data only appears to have been taken from one of these, according to current information. 

Its information page repeatedly uses the phrase "because of the sensitive nature of the data." The council cites this as the reason for not revealing information such as which schools were affected, how many individuals are affected, what types of data have been accessed, and whether this included sensitive or safeguarding-related data.

It also refused to say whether the attack involved ransomware or who was responsible for it. However, it said the risk of identity fraud would vary by individual, hinting that different types of personal data may have been accessed.

Powys Council confirmed that all schools across the region remain open, and the cyberattack does not affect their day-to-day safety or operations.

Education remains a strong target for cybercriminals. Given the sensitivity of the data these organizations store, it makes the sector one of the most attractive for financially motivated criminals looking for an extortion payment.

In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office said that between 2022 and 2024, pupils were responsible for 57 percent of 214 school data breaches, often using stolen login details. ®