Security News > 2023 > June > Iowa’s largest school district confirms ransomware attack, data theft
Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa's largest school district, confirmed today that a ransomware attack was behind an incident that forced it to take all networked systems offline on January 9, 2023.
While the school district also received a ransom demand following the attack from an unnamed ransomware group, the ransom has not been paid.
"The cyberattack against DMPS included a ransom demand. No ransom has been or will be paid in response to this attack based on the advice of our cybersecurity experts and what is in the best interest of the school district and community," Des Moines Public Schools said.
Various other Iowa school districts, such as the Cedar Rapids Community School District, the Davenport Community School District, and the Linn-Mar Community School District, have also been hit by ransomware last year, according to a Des Moines Register report.
One notable victim was the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the country.
Attacks on educational institutions have severely affected their day-to-day operations, including canceled school days, disrupted exams, no or restricted access to data and networks, as well as the compromise of personal information belonging to students and school staff.
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