Cyberattack strikes a school system told for years it was vulnerable

The Brew documented that Baltimore County Public Schools was warned many times over the years - by tech experts and multiple state audits - that it was vulnerable to an attack by ransomware criminals. Since the November attack, the website explained critical questions that remain about the extent of the damage and the security of the system and disclosed county government's deep distrust of the school system's handling of the crisis.

Dec 18, 20200

With data presumed unrecoverable, Baltimore County Schools scramble to recover from cyber attack

With student transcripts, ID numbers, state test scores and more apparently destroyed, the hackers’ stranglehold on student data is far worse that school officials have acknowledged.

Dec 4, 20200

BCPS stonewalls County Council members at meeting over ransomware attack

“The attitude, the arrogance!” said a Baltimore County councilman after school officials refused to say whether data privacy and county finances are at risk.

Dec 2, 20200

Baltimore County Attorney warns school administration not to negotiate with hackers

His letter underscores simmering tension over the ransomware attack with the County Executive and others feeling left out of the loop by Baltimore County Public Schools.

Nov 30, 20200

Multiple red flags preceded last week’s “catastrophic” cyber attack on Baltimore County Schools

A tech expert warned school officials in 2019 their networks were vulnerable to attack. A trove of personal data was exposed later that year. And the state auditor warned of vulnerabilities months ago – and previously in 2015.