Ransomware attack targets Stonington Public Schools
Stonington — The Stonington Public School system was targeted by a ransomware attack Wednesday.
Superintendent of Schools Van Riley said the school system staff worked quickly to designate a team of technology professionals to respond to the attack as soon as they learned of it.
They also engaged "third-party breach investigation, mitigation and response experts," to help, Riley said. The investigation was ongoing as of 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Town Police Capt. Todd Olson said police have been working closely with the school system throughout the day regarding the attack and helped connect the district with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for further help.
No information was yet available about the nature of the attack or the ransom that was requested. Riley said more information would be provided to the community as the investigation develops.
The police department was working to protect itself from a similar attack.
"Our IT department has been working seamlessly with their IT department," Olson said. "We are taking every step we can to make sure our systems are safe."
The department has advised staff not to open emails from the schools that have attachments, and have shut down certain systems that may have been "entryways for the attack" on the school system, Olson said.
Riley said the district had no further details Wednesday night.
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