Schools have faced an onslaught of cyberattacks since the pandemic disrupted education five years ago, but officials have kept these attacks secret and repeatedly given false information to students, parents and staff, according to an investigation by The 74, co-published in Wired. With support from the Fund, The 74 built a database of more than 300 school cyberattack incidents. The 74’s Mark Keierleber began investigating the disparity between what school officials tell the public and what a cyberattack actually entails after the Los Angeles Unified School suffered a massive data breach in 2022. Because of Keierleber’s digging on the dark web, the district had to retract its earlier denials and acknowledge that 2,000 student psychological evaluations had been compromised. Keierleber also uncovered serious breaches in Louisiana and other states. His larger investigation was the first to reveal the unseen apparatus made up of insurance executives, data privacy lawyers and consultants who move in after a school district is hacked and take over the response, shielding their actions behind attorney-client privilege. The result: Students, families and staff whose personal data was published online – from their financial and medical information to traumatic events in young people’s lives – are left clueless about their exposure and risks to identity theft, fraud and online exploitation.
Grantee investigates 300 cyberattacks on U.S. schools and uncovers apparatus that keeps students and families in the dark
