Cyberattack on schools district enabled by weak password, police say

The cyberattack on the crisis management system at the Cobb County School District last February was caused by a weak password created by an AlertPoint security system worker and not by the school district employee, the police said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "They are still working on this and it's obviously a difficult case to work because they had to track down how the breach occurred," said Sgt. Wayne Delk. Cobb schools officials said employees received a message alerting them of an AlertPoint system "malfunction," which prompted staff members to impose a code red lockdown. "We do not yet know the motives of those attacking the district's AlertPoint system. However, it appears the crime was committed to disrupt education across the district, create district-wide chaos, and produce anxiety in the district's students, parents, and staff," according to the school district's statement. Delk is encouraging people and business to avoid using weak passwords and to change these often.