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Ransomware attacks on schools spiked in June, reaching a new record high. On average, ransomware groups claimed more than one attack per day on educational institutions.
In June, there were 37 attacks on schools, which is more than the 24 attacks that occurred the month before. This information is from Recorded Future, who collected data from various sources such as extortion sites, government agencies, news reports, and hacking forums.
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The increase was mainly caused by the Clop ransomware group from Russia. They used vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer tool to access computer networks globally. The attacks have targeted a wide range of organizations — including Shell, Siemens Energy, and the largest public pension fund in the U.S. — and hit the education sector especially hard.
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“There was a significant impact on schools due to the Cl0P MOVEit attacks,” stated Allan Liska, a ransomware expert at Recorded Future who tracks attacks. “Cl0p was responsible for 12 attacks against schools in June — almost one-in-three — and propelled school ransomware attacks to their worst month ever.”
In contrast, Clop was only accountable for a single assault on educational institutions from January to May 2023.
While Clop gained significant attention in June due to the MOVEit attacks, it is important to note that there were other active groups as well. In total, there were 408 victims posted to ransomware sites in June, compared to 414 the previous month and just 150 in June 2022.
LockBit is behind most of the recent attacks, which includes targeting a dental insurance provider, a water utility in Portugal, and the Royal Mail in the UK.
Liska said that while Clop is responsible for a lot of activity in June, ransomware attacks in general have been very alarming. “There are more groups going after more targets and it is a never ending barrage of attacks.”
Source: the record
