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Increased ransomware attacks: Schools offered help to defend their systems

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Remote access systems, phishing and unpatched or unsecure devices are among the common routes being used by ransomware attackers to target schools.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued a warning to school leaders and IT managers after a rise in attacks on education institutions.

An alert published on Tuesday (March 23) reports an increased number of ransomware attacks since late February. This continues a trend that was first seen in August and September last year.

It is feared that in the rush to move to remote learning during the Covid pandemic, schools may have left their systems open to attack.

Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents you from accessing your systems or the data held on them. Typically, the data is encrypted, but it may also be deleted or stolen or the computer itself may be made inaccessible.

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