Fraud alert issued about ransomware in schools

Schools a 'soft target' for cybercriminals, channel suppliers claim

A fraud alert has been issued after schools across the country have fallen victim to ransomware attacks, prompting suppliers to urge their education customers to keep up to date with their security and remain alert.

Action Fraud claims cybercriminals are cold-calling education establishments claiming to be from the "Department of Education" - the actual name of the body is the Department for Education. The fraudsters then ask for the personal email or phone number of the headteacher or financial administrator, claiming they need to send confidential guidance forms such as mental health assessments or exam guidance which cannot be sent to anyone else.

The emails they send include an attachment - a .zip file masked as an Excel or Word document - which contains ransomware, which will demand up to £8,000 in order to recover the files.

The fraud body advises schools not to click on links or open attachments from unsolicited emails or messages, and urged them to always install software updates as soon as they become available.

Simon Harbridge, CEO of Stone - which has a strong schools focus - had similar advice for education establishments.

"It is increasingly common and we even get attempts here; they try all sorts of things," he said, referring to ransomware attack attempts in general. "All the normal security, AV and firewalls have got to be up to date. With some of the budget pressures in schools, it's perhaps a slight temptation not to do that. These types of people look for a weak or soft target and schools are under this budget pressure. They need to be mindful and make sure they are up to date. We do a lot with skills and support to help keep them up to date. It's a real and current issue."

Education consultant John Rudkin said the shake-up to schools in recent years means that standard e-safety courses once provided by the government, via LEAs or bodies such as Becta, may have dwindled, meaning schools could be at greater risk.

"It's a difficult one because it's like personal security and it's down to the nous of the individuals who take the calls and move the story on," he said. "The advice is to go with people you know, and don't give away information or make any commitments to people you've not heard of before. Even realistic names or those of big businesses can easily be used to defraud."