Minneapolis Public Schools ransomware attack still under investigation

Investigation into the ransomware attack that disrupted Minneapolis Public Schools during the past week is still underway, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. MPS, which serves nearly 34,500 students, disclosed that its systems, including school internet, badge access, cameras, phones, copiers, and printers, as well as building alarms, were taken down by an "encryption event" on Presidents Day. Many MPS systems have already been completely restored, with the district noting the recovery of encrypted files from their backups. The incident has also not resulted in the compromise of any personal data, according to MPS. Such an attack against MPS comes amid increasingly prevalent ransomware incidents in K-12 schools, prompting increased collaboration between the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and schools across the country in defending against cybersecurity threats. "We have put out a guide to educators to help them understand the basic things they need to do, recognizing that they are among the target rich-cyber poor population of entities," said CISA Director Jen Easterly.