Belgian school cyberattack shifts pressure unto families

Belgian secondary school OLV Pulhof had its students' parents extorted after the school refused to pay the demanded ransom in the wake of a cyberattack following the Christmas break, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Infiltration of OLV Pulhof's systems allowed attackers to obtain sensitive student and staff information, including financial and mental health records. Belgian prosecutors confirmed an investigation is ongoing but offered few details. An email sent in January, signed "Lock-Bit," demanded 15,000 or roughly $17,800 from the school, and when ignored, directed parents to pay 50 per child or convince the school to comply, threatening to leak data otherwise.

Experts noted the email likely did not come from the real LockBit group, citing a spelling error in the group's name and unusual methods. Security analysts say targeting numerous families for small payments is atypical for ransomware groups and indicates the attackers are struggling to monetize their access effectively.