Apr 1, 2021 - Technology

Sixth largest U.S. school district targeted by ransomware attack

Jacob Knutson

A fleet of Broward County school buses in a parking lot in July 2020 in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Photo: Johnny Louis/Getty Images

Broward County Public Schools, the sixth largest school district in the United States, said Thursday it had been the target of a massive ransomware attack, according to AP.

Why it matters: In March, hackers encrypted some of the Fort Lauderdale-based district's data and demanded a $40 million cryptocurrency payment or they would erase the files and publish the personal information of students and employees online.

What they're saying: Broward said Thursday it made no extortion payment and that no personal information had been published online, according to AP.

The district added that it is working with cybersecurity experts to shore up its computer systems and restore affected systems.

The big pictures: Screenshots of negotiations between Broward County Public Schools and the hackers show that at one point the school district offered $500,000 to restore the data, according to WPTV, an NBC-affiliated television station.

The attack briefly shutdown the district’s computer system in early March, but classes were not disrupted.

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Sixth largest U.S. school district targeted by ransomware attack

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