Two Somerset County school districts were the targets of suspected cyber attacks in April 2021.
Schools in both Hillsborough and Bernards were closed for a day after cyber attacks were suspected.
A school board meeting scheduled in Hillsborough also was canceled.
The Associated Press claimed that a criminal organization encrypted district data and demanded $40 million in ransom before erasing files and disclosing students' and staff's private information online.
The district offered to pay $500,000 after two weeks of negotiations, at which point the hackers allegedly halted negotiations, according to screenshots taken by the hackers.
Early in March, the district's computer system was briefly knocked down by ransomware, but classes were not affected.
TPRM report: https://scoringcyber.rankiteo.com/company/bernards-township-board-of-education
"id": "ber04918923",
"linkid": "bernards-township-board-of-education",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "04/2021",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'Somerset County',
'name': 'Hillsborough School District',
'type': 'Educational Institution'},
{'industry': 'Education',
'location': 'Somerset County',
'name': 'Bernards School District',
'type': 'Educational Institution'}],
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': True,
'data_exfiltration': True,
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'type_of_data_compromised': ["Students' and staff's private "
'information']},
'date_detected': 'April 2021',
'description': 'Two Somerset County school districts, Hillsborough and '
'Bernards, were the targets of suspected cyber attacks in '
'April 2021. The attacks led to school closures and the '
'cancellation of a school board meeting in Hillsborough. A '
'criminal organization encrypted district data and demanded '
'$40 million in ransom before erasing files and disclosing '
"students' and staff's private information online. The "
'district offered to pay $500,000 after negotiations, but the '
'hackers halted negotiations.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': ["Students' and staff's private information"],
'downtime': ['Schools closed for a day'],
'operational_impact': ['School board meeting canceled'],
'systems_affected': ["District's computer system"]},
'motivation': 'Financial Gain',
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True,
'data_exfiltration': True,
'ransom_demanded': '$40 million',
'ransom_paid': '$500,000'},
'references': [{'source': 'The Associated Press'}],
'threat_actor': 'Criminal Organization',
'title': 'Cyber Attacks on Somerset County School Districts',
'type': 'Ransomware'}