Highline Public Schools, located in Washington, experienced a significant ransomware attack in September 2024. The attack compromised sensitive data from approximately 17,500 students and 2,000 staff members at 34 schools. Following a forensic investigation, it was revealed that an unknown actor accessed certain systems and files on the district’s network. The breach included personal, financial, and medical data such as names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, health insurance details, and student records.
The district immediately took action upon discovering the attack on September 7, 2024, by isolating critical systems.
Schools were closed for three days, and a detailed investigation was launched to assess the full impact of the breach. The school district worked with third-party forensic specialists to review the affected files and identify individuals whose data was compromised. It was confirmed that the types of data impacted varied depending on the individual.
As a result of the breach, the district is offering impacted individuals free credit monitoring and identity protection services for 12 months.
The district is also urging people to remain vigilant against identity theft by regularly reviewing their account statements and credit reports. Highline is taking additional steps to secure their systems and prevent similar incidents in the future. The attack was reported to federal law enforcement, and the district has implemented more robust cybersecurity measures.
The breach caused significant disruption, including the cancellation of school activities and the delay of the school year’s first term. Network systems remained affected until October, when student and staff devices were fully restored. Highline continues to work with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to address the incident and safeguard against future cyber threats. For those concerned, the district has set up a hotline for assistance.
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