Exploit: Ransomware
Athens Independent School District: Public School System
![high-risk-meter-ni](/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/high-risk-meter-ni.png)
Risk to Small Business: 1.207 = Extreme: A school system in East Texas has paid cybercriminals a ransom of $50K for the key to unencrypt its data. The school board noted that it had no choice but to pay the ransom because it could not complete recovery in time to start the new school year. The report also noted that other school systems in East Texas have been hit with ransomware attacks recently as well. The district has cyberattack insurance.
![gear-0-212-129](/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gear-0-212-129.jpg)
Individual Risk: No personal or financial data about students or staff was reported as compromised at this time.
Customers Impacted: Unknown
How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: This episode is a reminder that even minor vulnerabilities can have extensive consequences. In this case, accessing just a few email accounts compromised thousands of patient records, creating serious problems for both the victims and the company. Since healthcare organizations are explicitly charged with protecting this information, they need to take every precaution to make sure that their systems are secure. By monitoring where and how hackers use patient and employee information on the Dark Web, providers can offer lasting protection.
Risk Levels:
1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk
*The risk score is calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.