Two US senators asked the Department of Homeland Security for their support on a recent bill, the K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2019, which aims to effectively manage the threat of ransomware and cyberattacks. The bill would establish guidelines that improve school cybersecurity systems. The senators stated that school systems are entrusted with safeguarding the personal data of staff and students, but many school districts lack the capabilities to fully protect themselves from damaging cyber attacks.
Schools have increasingly become the target of cyberattacks across the US, and the number of school systems targeted by ransomware skyrocketed in 2019. The recently proposed bill states that there were 119 cybersecurity-related incidents at US schools in 2018, and 11 of those were attributed to ransomware. In the first 9 months of 2019, ransomware infections targeted more than 500 US schools according to the cybersecurity firm Armor, while the company Emisoft reports that more than 1,000 schools were impacted.
Read More: Senators introduce K-12 Cybersecurity Act
