5 Ways CPU Virus Caused Headaches For Livingston School District

LIVINGSTON, NJ — A single computer virus can do some seriously frustrating damage, as the Livingston Public School District recently discovered.

Last month, school administrators discovered that a virus – later identified as Ransomware – crashed the district’s computer servers. While many of the systems it infected have been restored, as of Friday, some big headaches still remain, according to Superintendent Matthew Block.

“Like you, we are anxious to have all of our systems back in use,” Block wrote in a message to the school community on Dec. 6. “This will remain a daily focus for us, and resources will continue to be deployed to enhance our efforts to move us forward.”

In many instances of Ransomware viruses, criminals will extort the victim for money to restore access to their files. School officials and police haven't commented on whether a ransom was demanded or paid.

According to Block, the district has hired a tech firm that previously helped the City of Baltimore when it was infected with a similar virus.

“As this situation has unfolded, we have learned about similar occurrences in other school districts, colleges, businesses, and government entities throughout the country,” Block wrote. “Unfortunately, there have been others even more recent than ours.”

• See related article: 2 Men Created 'SamSam Ransomware' Computer Virus, Feds Say
• See related article: Malicious 'Ransomware' Virus Strikes N.J., Authorities Warn

It could take months before the attack in fully in the rearview mirror, Block said.

“Another New Jersey School district, whose systems were compromised at the end of September, informed us that two months after their cyber-incident, they were still addressing some issues with their systems,” he warned.

Here are five ways the virus caused havoc for the Livingston school district.

MASSIVE TECH REBOOT

The virus attacked several computer-based systems in the district, leaving teachers, administrators and parents locked out.

“Our data is not ‘lost,’” Block explained in a Nov. 22 letter to the school community. “Rather, it is inaccessible until we can resolve the situation.”

“Our understanding is that these criminals do not typically steal data, but rather render the systems unusable,” Block continued. “We know of other districts that have recently been the victims of similar crimes. Unfortunately, attacks like this are becoming more and more common.”

Affected systems included:

• Internet and phones
• Staff emails
• Schoology (the district’s portal for parents and students)
• Genesis (the district’s online portal with electronic forms/info for parents)
• Payroll

The virus didn’t affect student emails or Naviance, which provides college transcripts, officials said.

As of Dec. 6, the district has made significant progress, according to Block.

“Our internet and phone systems are up, running and functioning well,” he stated. “Additionally, this week, we began the difficult process of getting each of our PC-based computer devices cleaned to ensure that they are virus-free. As we systematically address each of the 4,000 potentially impacted devices, our amazing educators continue to provide excellent instruction for our students at all levels. I am pleased to report that technology is being used productively in classrooms throughout the district.”

DISRUPTED SCHOOL CALENDAR

While staff scrambled to repair the damage and get systems back online, administrators called for a delayed opening on Nov. 25 to buy them some time.

That morning, administrators held a meeting with staff members to “ensure clarity and consistency” moving forward.

“We appreciate our families making arrangements so that we can hold this very important meeting,” Block wrote.

COST SCHOOL EMPLOYEES TIME, EFFORT

Since the virus was first discovered, the district’s technology staff has been working nights and weekends to get things back on track, Block reported on Dec. 6.

But there’s still a long way to go, he added.

“It has now been two weeks since we confirmed that our system was compromised,” Block wrote. “School has been in session for seven days since then. During this time, our technology issue has been our top priority. We have learned that, even with our technology staff working nights and weekends, recovery has many moving parts and restoring a technology system from the ‘ground up’ on a large scale takes a significant amount of time.”

Block said the district has been trying to get months of work done in just a few weeks.

“We’ve made some meaningful progress, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us,” Block warned.

CREATED AN INFORMATION BOTTLENECK

As of Dec. 6, the district’s Genesis system is still inaccessible, administrators said.

“We know that everyone wants to be able to see grades online again as soon as possible,” Block wrote. “At the moment, we remain unable to provide broad access to Genesis or to create report cards. Students are currently receiving academic feedback through graded and reviewed assignments and assessments from teachers.”

For now, these assignments and assessments will be their primary source of academic feedback, Block said.

“We ask that you communicate with your children about how they are doing in their classes,” Block wrote. “Teachers will not be able to respond to individual grade requests from parents.”

While data recovery efforts are ongoing, consultants and other professionals continue to advise school officials not to share specifics, since the investigation is ongoing.

“Consequently, we remain unable to communicate at all about that aspect of our work,” Block said.

POLICE INVESTIGATION

The employees of the Livingston Public School District aren’t the only ones to feel the headache caused by the virus… local police have also taken part in the investigation.

“The Livingston Public Schools were the victims of a crime, and this crime has been reported to the Livingston Police Department and other appropriate law enforcement agencies,” Block asserted.

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