A file encrypting malware attack has reportedly disrupted the servers of over six schools operating in the Isle of Wight, thus delaying the much awaited opening of the autumn term.
As per the sources reporting to Cybersecurity Insiders, the attack took place on the computer network of Island Education Federation, locking down access to important documents that might take weeks or months to be restored.
Sources report that the incident was identified on August 3rd, 2021 and Prima facie revealed that the IT systems could have been compromised by ransomware between July 28th and July 29th, 2021 affecting the digital systems of 3 primary schools, 2 secondary schools and 1 college admissions and online courses.
Law enforcement agencies along with a cybersecurity firm are working round the clock to investigate the impact of the incident and all required measures to bolster the Cybersecurity posture of the school institution have been put in place.
RansomEXX Ransomware is suspected to have infected the school systems. But there is no official statement from the Isle of Wight school authorities as of now. However, the school’s IT staff is working their best in bringing back their systems to life as early as possible.
BTW, the same hacking group, is said to have targeted the Italian COVID-19 Vaccine Registration portal, disrupting the jab registration activity for the populace of Lazio, Rome.
Nicola Zingaretti, the President of Lazio, confirmed the ransomware attack and stated that the attack could be an act of a state funded actor who wanted to create political and social instability in the country by launching a cyber war on a critical infrastructure of Italy.
