Some Data Is ‘Breached’ During a Hacking Attack on the Alabama Education Department

Some Data Is ‘Breached’ During a Hacking Attack on the Alabama Education Department

July 5, 2024 at 06:06AM

Alabama’s education superintendent, Eric Mackey, revealed a hacking attempt at the Alabama State Department of Education, with some data potentially breached. Mackey urged parents and education employees to monitor their credit and indicated that a federal investigation is ongoing as the attackers are believed to be foreign. A website and email have been set up for information and queries.

Based on the meeting notes, here are the key takeaways:

– The Alabama State Department of Education experienced a hacking attempt on June 17, which was stopped while in progress. Superintendent Eric Mackey mentioned that there is a possibility that some student and employee data might have been compromised in the attack, and urged individuals to monitor their credit.

– A contractor has been brought in to go through state servers to determine what information may have been taken by the hackers. Mackey assured that employee bank account and direct deposit information is not at risk because that information is not stored on state servers.

– The hackers were believed to be attempting to encrypt data and extort a ransom for its release. There is an ongoing federal criminal investigation into the attack, as it is believed to have involved foreign hackers.

– The Alabama State Department of Education has created a website (https://ift.tt/nyW4v7U) and an email ([email protected]) for individuals to access information about the hacking attempt and submit questions.

These are the main points extracted from the meeting notes. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.

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