Teays Valley Christian School hit by ransomware attack
Take action: This is a terrifying example of how criminals can bully students who are a veru vulnerable category into expanding their attack. Make sure to educate the children very early.
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The Putnam County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) is investigating a ransomware attack targeting a student at Teays Valley Christian School in West Virginia.
The attack involved an extortion attempt where the student was threatened that if they did not download a specific file, a "hit list" would be distributed under their name and email account.
A "hit list" is a list of individuals who are targeted for harm or some negative action. A student caught distributed such a list would face both backlash from the other students as well as penalties from the school. This is a particularly malicious form of social engineering targeting vulnerable students.
The student's Discord and Google school accounts were compromised in what was described as a "sophisticated" attack. Three different IP addresses accessed the student's account within a 20-minute window. All personal files were accessed within seconds of the breach
- The attack occurred on March 20th
- Post-attack, the account was accessed through three different internet service providers from three different states, deviating from the student's normal West Virginia-based access patterns
The stolen data, impact of the attack and number of affected individuals is not disclosed.
The investigation is active with some limitations on publicly shared information due to the involvement of minors. Chief Deputy Shamblin from PCSO will be available at the school on Tuesday from 7-8 a.m. to address questions from the school community.
