Hackers Strike Again, This Time Targeting Schools in Los Angeles

JAKARTA – The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest collection of public schools in the United States, stated that their school was the target of a ransomware attack from an unknown hacker over Labor Day weekend, causing significant disruption. But the attack did not cause the school to close.

"Los Angeles Unified detected unusual activity in its Information Technology systems over the weekend, which after an initial review, could be confirmed as an external cyber attack against our Information Technology assets," the district said in a statement, quoted by Reuters on Tuesday. They added that they had reported the attack to law enforcement.

The school remained open on Tuesday, September 6 but the statement said "business operations may have to be delayed or changed."

They added that the attack was likely criminal in nature. They have also implemented response protocols to reduce disruption across the District, including access to email, computer systems and applications.

The statement did not specify what information, if any, had been violated. The school said health information and employee payroll as well as safety and emergency mechanisms at the school were not affected by the attack.

The White House said it had spoken to district security about the attack. It is not clear who was responsible for the cyber attack.

Separately, the US government agencies issued a public warning Tuesday saying a ransomware gang known as the Vice Society, which emerged last year, had disproportionately carried out ransomware attacks targeting the education sector.

The agencies anticipate attacks could escalate as the 2022-23 school year begins and the ransomware group sees an opportunity for a successful attack, the adviser said.

A Justice Department official said last year the US stepped up its investigation of ransomware attacks to the same priority as terrorism.

The ransom software works by encrypting the victim's data. Usually hackers will offer keys to victims in exchange for cryptocurrency payments that can run into hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government is also investigating the possible involvement of groups supporting the Russian government in a denial-of-service cyber attack on a government website on Thursday, September 1, according to public broadcaster NHK.

According to NHK the attack temporarily blocked access to websites, including the Digital Agency's e-Gov administration portal.