Addison Northwest School District reports ransomware cyberattack

The Addison Northwest School District (ANWSD) in Vergennes, Vermont, is reporting being hit by a ransomware cyberattack that has disrupted operations across all three district schools and its central office. The incident, discovered on Tuesday 7th of January 2025, has locked district officials, teachers, and employees out of servers and disabled internet services throughout the district.

ANWSD implemented its incident response protocols, including system isolation, engagement of cybersecurity professionals, and law enforcement notification. The district has also issued precautionary recommendations to staff and families, advising them to monitor their accounts for unusual activity such as unauthorized charges, suspicious login attempts, unexpected account lockouts, and phishing attempts.

The exact scope of affected systems and data, as well as the financial impact of this ransomware attack, had not been disclosed.

The FBI is investigating the attack. The district plans to restore their systems from backups, though this process will take time. Currently, the extent of potentially compromised data remains unknown.