As students return to school, US federal officials have issued a warning that ransomware attacks on schools may increase, citing Vice Society, a ransomware gang that has been targeting the education sector. According to the FBI, US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the MS-ISAC, schools with limited cybersecurity resources are particularly vulnerable to ransomware, but even well-defended school systems can fall prey to opportunistic hackers.

The sensitive student data stored on school systems or through third-party tech companies makes K-12 schools particularly lucrative targets. This warning comes as the Los Angeles Unified School District faced significant disruption from a ransomware attack over Labor Day weekend. The attack did not cancel classes, but caused a considerable disruption to computer systems.

This year, there have been 50 reported ransomware attacks on the US education sector, a worrying trend for school administrators already struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, a predominantly Black college in Illinois was forced to close due to a pandemic-induced drop in admissions and fallout from a ransomware attack on its computer systems. In January, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, public school system was closed for two days after a ransomware attack affected systems that host information on emergency contacts for students and adults who are authorized to pick students up from school.

US federal auditors have called on the Department of Education to do more to protect schools from hacking threats. As the education sector continues to face an ever-growing number of cybersecurity threats, officials are urging schools to bolster their defenses to prevent ransomware attacks from disrupting education.

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