Security News > 2020 > December > Feds: K-12 Cyberattacks Dramatically on the Rise
Ransomware is not the only problem, though - CISA and the FBI said that trojan malwares, distributed denial-of-service attacks, phishing and credential theft, account hacking, network compromises and more have all been on the rise since the beginning of the school year.
"Whether as collateral for ransomware attacks or to sell on the dark web, cyber-actors may seek to exploit the data-rich environment of student information in schools and education technology services," according to the joint advisory [PDF], issued Thursday.
"The need for schools to rapidly transition to distance learning likely contributed to cybersecurity gaps, leaving schools vulnerable to attack. In addition, educational institutions that have outsourced their distance learning tools may have lost visibility into data security measures. Cyber-actors could view the increased reliance on - and sharp usership growth in - these distance-learning services and student data as lucrative targets."
The five most common ransomware variants identified in incidents targeting K-12 schools this year are Ryuk, Maze, Nefilim, AKO and Sodinokibi/REvil, the feds noted.
Topics will include the most dangerous ransomware threat actors, their evolving TTPs and what your organization needs to do to get ahead of the next, inevitable ransomware attack.