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Ransomware attack on London schools highlights warnings
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
A disruptive cyber attack on a “chain” of schools in London and the South East, which has left around 37,000 pupils unable to access email, has again highlighted the vulnerability of educational institutions to targeted ransomware attacks, coming just days after the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warned of a spate of such incidents.
Public sector protection
ImmuniWeb’s Ilia Kolochenko said the Harris Foundation’s misfortune highlighted the need for the UK government to do more to protect the public sector from ransomware.
“Government should urgently intervene with cyber training, financial and technical support in the UK educational sector,” said Kolochenko. “For example, when buying security software, a volume-discount for all schools in the UK could be huge and make even premium security products affordable.
“Importantly, cyber police units are also deprived of sufficient funding proportional to surging and sophisticated cyber crime. Law enforcement agencies require undelayed financial support to attract new professionals, align forensic capacities with modern cyber threats and perform educational support and awareness among future victims.” Read Full Article
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