Ransomware attack forces Brit high school to shut doors
A UK high school will have to close for at least two days, today and tomorrow, after becoming the latest public-sector victim of ransomware criminals.
Blacon High School in the historic city of Chester, in north west England, said yesterday the attack hit on January 17, and didn't rule out having to shut its doors to students for additional days this week.
Students have not been given the day off, however. Teachers set work for them to complete on Google Classroom over the two days, although they can still visit the school to collect lunch.
No ransomware crew has claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of writing, and the school is unwilling to comment on whether any data was compromised as a result of the incident.
"We have an independent cybersecurity company working in school to understand exactly what has happened," headteacher Rachel Hudson said in a statement. "Until this is completed, I will not be able to provide any further details on any potential data breach."
Many of the school's IT systems are down, although Hudson said senior staff are working to create systems that will enable operations to continue.
