NJ school district’s computer system crippled by ransomware attack

An electronic security breach has halted much of the regular routine, including high school finals, for students and staff at Tenafly Public Schools, according to reporting by NJ.com.

A ransomware attack, according to NJ.com, has crippled the district's computer system. Through such an attack, a perpetrator aims to receive a sum of money before restoring users' access to the affected system.

District administrators first identified an issue on June 2. On that day, the district told followers on social media to not attempt to log on to Google Classroom, the website, or school email.

"Our Technology Team along with additional support experts are hard at work fixing the issue," the district said. "Until further notice, please do not click on any links from school email, on the website, or in Google Classrooms as this may interfere with corrective actions. More communication will be sent as it is available."

New Jersey 101.5's efforts to reach the district were unsuccessful on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the district told NJ.com that it immediately responded to the online attack by shutting down the system and hiring outside cybersecurity experts.

The district announced on Tuesday that final exams for all high-schoolers would be cancelled, and that there are no plans to reschedule them, NJ.com said.

The district did not reveal the source of the attack or whether it intends to make a payment to gain access to the system again. It also could not provide a timeline for restoration of services.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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