MANSFIELD, Texas — The Mansfield Independent School District has been hit with a ransomware attack that's affected many of the district's systems, officials said Monday night.
In a statement, the district said the cyberattack impacted systems that used internet, such as the website, email and phone systems. The district did not specify when the attack happened.
According to the district, it's currently unclear if any data was compromised in the attack.
"Once the issue was discovered, we immediately notified the appropriate authorities and are working closely with them to resolve the situation. We are working diligently to investigate the source of the disruption, confirm the extent of the impact on our systems, and restore full functionality as quickly and securely as possible." MISD Superintendent Dr. Kimberley Cantu said in the statement.
The district did not get into specifics about the attack or all the systems that were affected.
Officials added that the attack affected the district's visitor and volunteer management systems, which means that the district has to suspend campus visitors for the time being.
"Students have been safely learning inside our campuses and we will continue to have school, providing the best learning environment possible without the use of Internet and web-based systems," Dr. Cantu said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the district was still working to restore systems.
“I’m proud of how our staff and students are keeping learning in the forefront during this time,” said Dr. Cantu. “Many of our educational tools and processes are facilitated by being connected to the internet, but our amazing teachers and staff have been able to use their fundamental skills and relationships with students to move ahead despite the hurdles we’re experiencing.”
Nearly a year ago, Allen ISD dealt with a cybersecurity incident after hackers claimed they downloaded the personal information of students, families and staff. That cyberattack affected the district's network systems.
Allen ISD officials said the hackers were trying to extort the district for millions of dollars but that the district did not pay the ransom based on guidance from cybersecurity experts and law enforcement.
