An investigation is underway to determine if cybercriminals are responsible for the Interboro School District’s network problems. The school district serves students from Norwood, Glenolden, Tinicum and Prospect Park.
Glenolden Borough Manager Brian Razzi said he knew there was a problem when he received a pre-recorded call from the Interboro School District on Monday, Oct. 28. His son is in the first grade in the district.
“I heard there was a network outage and computer problems that were affecting the daily operations of the school district,” Razzi said.
On Tuesday, October 29, school was canceled due to network issues. Razzi said there was no internet.
“Everything now depends on the Internet: the security systems, contact with parents, school information, everything,” Razzi said. “I think there was a report about using some kind of Google system that was backed up, but as a parent I have had no problems contacting the school and my son says lessons are running as normal. “
As school starts again, we learn that the network issues are not yet fully resolved. Multiple sources confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia that a ransomware attack resolved the school district’s internet outage.
“Schools are not required to report ransomware attacks to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE),” said Erin James, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. “We are eager to help each district navigate a ransomware attack if assistance is requested.”
An attorney for the Interboro School District released a statement on behalf of the school district:
“Interboro School District recently identified unusual network activity that is impacting the functionality of some of our IT systems.
The district immediately initiated its incident response plan, which involved a team of IT specialists to assess the status of our technology systems. We also conduct a thorough investigation to gain insight into the nature and extent of the disruption.
Our priorities were to safely return students and staff to our schools while we worked diligently to restore our technology systems. Communications were provided to parents and guardians, as well as our dedicated Interboro staff. We sincerely appreciate the cooperation and patience of the Interboro community as we continue to work on this matter.”
According to sources, the FBI is involved, but the law enforcement agency cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
“I think the school district is handling the situation the best it can,” Razzi said.
Madeleine Wright
