"Ransomware Attacks Exposed 6.7 Million Records in US Schools"

According to security researchers at Comparitech, ransomware attacks on US schools and colleges have surged in recent years, with 491 incidents recorded since 2018, impacting over 8000 educational institutions and exposing 6.7 million individual records.  The researchers noted that in 2023, the number of attacks reached a record high of 121, marking a significant increase from the 71 attacks reported in 2022. The average downtime per attack has also grown, rising from just under nine days in 2021 to 12.6 days in 2023.  The financial impact is severe, with downtime costing schools an average of $550,000 daily.  The researchers also found that the average ransom demand was $1.4m, and the average ransom payment was $169,000.  The most affected US states included California (43 attacks), New York (42 attacks), and Washington and Ohio, which had the most records breached, with over 800,000 records compromised in each state.  

Infosecurity Magazine reports: "Ransomware Attacks Exposed 6.7 Million Records in US Schools"