Kearney Public Schools in Nebraska suffered a ransomware attack by the Interlock gang, which claimed to have stolen 354 GB of sensitive data, including personal security data, financial documents, and third-party information (e.g., students’ relatives and parents). The attack occurred on Friday (October 11, 2024), disrupting systems until restoration by Monday (October 14, 2024). While the school district denied paying a ransom and stated systems were fully functional, the investigation remains ongoing, with no confirmation on the exact scope of compromised data or the breach method. The attack aligns with Interlock’s dual-extortion tactic encrypting systems while exfiltrating data for leverage. Given the stolen data includes personal and financial records of students, staff, and families, the incident poses risks of identity theft, fraud, and reputational harm. The district’s delayed disclosure (common in education, averaging 4.8 months) may exacerbate risks. With 16 schools, 6,000+ students, and 1,000 employees, the breach’s long-term impact could extend to operational disruptions, legal liabilities, and erosion of trust in the institution’s cybersecurity posture.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/kearney-public-schools
"id": "kea1492714101525",
"linkid": "kearney-public-schools",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "10/2024",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': ['students',
'faculty',
'staff',
'students’ relatives/parents'],
'industry': 'education (K-12)',
'location': 'Buffalo County, Nebraska, USA',
'name': 'Kearney Public Schools',
'size': '16 schools, ~6,000 students, ~1,000 employees',
'type': 'public school district'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Public statement on Facebook (October 13, 2025)',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (354 GB of data allegedly stolen)',
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (includes personally '
'identifiable information)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['personal security data',
'financial documents',
'third-party information (e.g., '
'students’ relatives/parents)']},
'date_detected': '2025-10-11',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-10-13',
'date_resolved': '2025-10-14',
'description': 'The ransomware gang Interlock claimed responsibility for a '
'cyber attack on Kearney Public Schools in Nebraska. The '
'attack occurred on Friday (October 11, 2025), and systems '
'were restored by Monday (October 14, 2025). Interlock alleges '
'it stole 354 GB of data, including personal security data, '
'financial documents, and third-party information (e.g., '
'students’ relatives and parents). Sample images of stolen '
'documents were posted as proof. Kearney Public Schools has '
'not verified the claim and stated no ransom was demanded. The '
'investigation is ongoing, and the district declined to '
'disclose details about compromised data or the breach method.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage due to '
'data breach and operational disruption',
'data_compromised': ['personal security data',
'financial documents',
'third-party information (students’ relatives '
'and parents)'],
'downtime': '3 days (Friday to Monday)',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (due to exposure of personal security '
'data)',
'operational_impact': ['disruption of attendance tracking',
'grade submission delays',
'communication outages (phone/email)',
'billing/payroll interruptions',
'assignment management issues'],
'systems_affected': ['school technology systems (e.g., attendance, '
'grades, communications, billing, payroll)']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (as of October 13, 2025)',
'motivation': ['financial gain', 'data theft'],
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': 'Likely (systems locked down)',
'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (354 GB claimed)',
'ransom_demanded': 'No (district stated no ransom was asked)',
'ransom_paid': 'No',
'ransomware_strain': 'Interlock'},
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2025-10-13',
'source': 'Kearney Public Schools Facebook Post'},
{'source': 'Comparitech Research (2025 Ransomware Attacks on '
'US Schools)'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-10-13',
'source': 'Interlock Ransomware Gang Leak Site'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['public statement on Facebook '
'(October 13, 2025)',
'ongoing updates to staff and '
'families'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes (systems restored by '
'Monday)',
'recovery_measures': ['full functionality restored for all '
'technology systems'],
'remediation_measures': ['system restoration']},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Ongoing updates to staff and families',
'threat_actor': 'Interlock',
'title': 'Ransomware Attack on Kearney Public Schools by Interlock',
'type': ['ransomware', 'data breach']}