Buffalo Schools Could Close Due To A Ransomware Attack

Credit: WGRZ

First, there were debates about when will Buffalo Public Schools be able to fully open, to now there is no real true definite answer. The Buffalo Public Schools confirmed that the computer systems in the school suffered a ransomware event. Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a victim's files, then the attacker demands a ransom from the victim to restore access to the data after the payment is made.

The FBI is helping the district. The district is also getting help from cybersecurity consultants from out-of-state as far as Atlanta and other major corporations. Although there have not been any demands made yet. The FBI believes that the ransom could be between $100,000 and $300,000 and it could possibly be negotiable.

We are in the midst of an investigation to determine what has occurred, the scope of the problem, and how much time it will take to fix it, and what is required to fix it. This could have a significant impact on our operations going forward into next week.

said, Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash.

Remote classes were canceled Friday, Dr. Cash mentioned that there could be more cancellations if the problem is not resolved over the weekend, For now, the district has disconnected all computers from the internet and they are trying to contain the attack and assess the situation.

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Situations like this are why I always have had some reservations when it comes to allowing my entire business to be controlled by computers without some kind of paper back up. I just feel like there should be an alternative way to have students get some kind of work done.