DELAWARE COUNTY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Officials in Delaware County say they’ve seen an uptick in cyberattacks on schools. Now, they’re offering solutions to help keep districts better protected.
“Not only are they increasing in quantity, they’ve also become more sophisticated,” said Khalid Ayyubov, chief information and technology office of the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. “Some attacks make it to the news, some don’t, but we see attacks happening.”
Over the few years, Ayyubov says they’ve noted an increase particularly in ransomware attacks, where data is stolen. “It’s a malware that infects your network, encrypts your files, making them inaccessible. School districts cannot access financial files, cannot access student records,” he said.
“One student record currently costs a few hundred dollars on the dark web, so stealing thousands of those records at a time can be a pretty appealing business for cybercriminals.”
Ayyubov says they’re now working with districts to build their defenses — and speaking with federal authorities about their best practices for cybersecurity.
“We set up a really interesting meeting with the FBI’s cyber team and share their vision on what school security should look like, and what they see in the field.”
He offers one piece of cybersecurity advice for schools in and outside of the county. “Conduct [a] comprehensive cybersecurity audit, which will reveal all of your shortcomings in terms of your defenses,” he said. “You cannot get better until you know what’s wrong.”