Ransomware attacks on schools threaten student data nationwide [Video]

Tucson, Ariz. — Imagine a criminal gaining unrestricted access to your child’s most private information — medical records, Social Security numbers and even details about their daily bus ride to school. This alarming scenario is becoming a reality for a growing number of families as sophisticated cybercriminals increasingly target schools across the United States, holding their computer systems and private data hostage.

Data gathered by K12 Security Information Exchange, known as K12 SIX, a nonprofit focused on protecting schools from cybersecurity threats, and analyzed by CBS News, shows that there have been hundreds of ransomware attacks on districts since 2016.

Using publicly available reports, K12 SIX identified at least 325 ransomware attacks on school districts across the United States between April 2016 and the end of November 2022.

From January 2023 through June 2024, at least 83 potential ransomware attacks on school districts were disclosed, …