New Jersey District Cybersecurity Incident Affects 800 Employees
Galloway Township Public Schools was hit by a cyber attack last month that included teacher credentials and fraudulent wire transfers.
- By Sydny Shepard
- November 05, 2018
About 800 district employees, including substitute teachers, along with thousands of district funds, were affected by a cybersecurity incident last month, according to Galloway Township Public Schools Superindentant Annette C. Giaquinto.
"We are continuing to work diligently to resolve this matter and provide updates to those affected," Giaquinto said.
The district became aware of the breach in September, which included two fraudulent wire transfers of $200,000. The district has since been able to recover one of the transfers and are "in the process of making efforts to recover the remaining balance."
District officials believe the scope of the incident is limited to staff members' login credentials and do not have reason to believe students or their families have been affected.
According to the New Jersey School Boards Association's latest report on school security, one of the greatest threats to campuses was the lack of attention to cybersecurity. During a presentation, the NJSBA recommended schools to address the issue, including a list of best practices like providing training for all staff, establishing and assessing disaster recovery plans and creating and reviewing board policies.
“Schools and colleges compile extensive data concerning students and their academic records, employees and their personal and family information and district financial matters,” the report states. “All of these data functions can be vulnerable to cyber attack.”
About the Author
Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.