The FBI has warned of a surge in attacks against schools in which ransomware operators are stealing data to pile on the pressure for payment.
In a joint FBI and DHS-CISA flash industry alert (.PDF) this week, law enforcement said a recent increase in attacks leveraging PYSA ransomware, also known as Mespinoza, has been traced to both US and UK educational institutions.
“The unidentified cyber actors have specifically targeted higher education, K-12 schools, and seminaries,” the alert reads. “These actors use PYSA to exfiltrate data from victims prior to encrypting victim’s systems to use as leverage in eliciting ransom payments.”
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Source: ZDNet