By Madeleine Mosher
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Baltimore County Public Schools, made up of 115,000 students, cancelled virtual classes Wednesday morning when officials suspected a ransomware attack on the district’s network information systems.
Superintendent Darryl Williams said in a hastily called press conference that the district is working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the attack, which encrypted files so they couldn’t be accessed. The attack targeted the website, email and grading system for the district, he said.
Williams stressed that officials are uncertain when classes will resume.
Although school officials were notified about the attack early Wednesday, Jim Corns, the district executive director of information technology, said Tuesday evening was when it first was identified. All teachers have been instructed not to log in to their BCPS accounts, he said.
Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said police are working with local FBI agents but didn’t give further information because the investigation is in preliminary stages.
Hyatt did not answer questions about whether criminals have asked for a ransom payment, which tends to be in bitcoin. Ransom requests typically are lower than the cost of recovery, so many victims pay the requested amount to restore functionality.
Corns also said that the district is following emergency response plans.
“We want to reassure you that we are doing our best to address the ransomware cyberattack,” BCPS tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
The Teachers Association of Baltimore County told media “TABCO is extremely concerned that BCPS is victim of a ransomware cyberattack. Ultimately, this affects our students and their ability to access their virtual instruction.”
In a statement issued early Wednesday, Baltimore County officials said the government systems apparently were not affected. In May 2019, Baltimore City government computers were shut down for weeks in a ransomware attack, leaving residents without a water bill for months. Officials said the city implemented a cybersecurity and emergency preparedness committee last November.