Hackers demand £15million ransom from schools they hit over Christmas holidays
HACKERS have demanded a £15million ransom from schools they hit over the festive holidays.
The gang left hundreds of teachers locked out of their computers when they went back to work this week.
At least 16 schools were affected, with staff returning from the holiday to find posters pinned to walls urging them not to access their computers.
The hackers want a £15million pay-off in crypto-currency to unlock the system.
It was not clear if any money has been paid but one source said: “The demand is a huge amount for a school.”
The attack affected all 15 schools run by the York-based Hope Sentamu Learning Trust.
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Hymers College, an independent school in Hull, was also hit.
It happened over a number of weeks spanning the new year.
In a typical ransomware attack, hackers disable part of an IT network and demand money to unlock it.
Cyber investigators recommend refusing to pay.
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But the source added: “It’s been a nightmare.
“Staff have been told they can’t use the school computer network and have to plan their lessons in the old-fashioned way instead — with a pen and paper.”
The trust said it took parts of its system offline as a precaution but has restored others.
It added: “We take the security of our IT systems extremely seriously.”
Hymers College said: “We quickly became aware of the incident and responded immediately and appropriately, working with all the correct authorities.”