Blacon High School, which is located near Chester, has announced its temporary closure due to a ransomware attack, BBC reported.
The school will remain closed to students on January 21 while a cybersecurity company investigates the incident.
Headteacher Rachel Hudson confirmed the breach occurred on Friday and stated that further closures might be necessary. Parents will be updated as soon as more information becomes available, according to the report.
“We have an independent cyber-security company working in school to understand exactly what has happened,” Hudson said. She explained that all staff devices need to be cleansed before teachers can re-plan lessons.
In the meantime, work will be set for students on Google Classroom to complete from home, the report added.
The news comes after a ransomware crew hit Gateshead Council, placing stolen documents on its data leak site. Gateshead Council said the attackers gained access to its systems on January 8 and that some personal data may have been affected.
Last year, Corvus Insurance released a report showing the record-setting pace of ransomware activity in 2023, rising 68% from the prior year. In total, the report said 2023 saw 4,496 leak site victims of ransomware attacks, up from 2,670 in 2022 and 3,048 in 2021.
The Corvus report also showed an increase in ransomware activity for the first three quarters of 2023, only slightly declining by the final quarter of that year. Based on the findings, Corvus warned that such activity could continue throughout 2024, urging businesses to remain prepared with enhanced security and cyber insurance policies.
Allianz Group also made a similar warning, highlighting the necessity of developing strong detection and fast response capabilities. This, after it released a report in 2023 forecasting a 25% increase in cyber claims annually by the end of that year.
Last year, the UK National Cyber Security Centre published guidance to minimise the overall impact of ransomware incidents. That guidance, however, was more targeted to businesses in an effort to reduce disruption.
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