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WJCC says network attack disrupted systems; Kroll to provide one year of identity services
Summary
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools reported a cybersecurity incident that disrupted network services in February; officials say systems were restored around Feb. 14 and the division will offer one year of credit monitoring and identity restoration services through Kroll while cooperating with law enforcement.
Dr. Keever (superintendent) told the Williamsburg-James City County School Board that the division detected network disruptions around Feb. 9 and immediately engaged outside cybersecurity experts. The division worked with its internal technology team and external consultants to secure systems and restore operations on or about Feb. 14.
The nut graf: School leaders said the incident did not affect physical campus safety and that teachers continued instruction using “unplugged learning” while Internet access and other services were being restored. To protect staff and students, WJCC will provide one year of free credit monitoring and identity restoration services through Kroll and will share guidance from legal counsel on identity protection.
Dr. Keever said investigators are working with local, state and federal law enforcement. "We do not have evidence that any personal information is being used maliciously, but we want to reassure our community with confidence and tools to protect themselves," Dr. Keever said. She told the board that formal letters from Kroll and emails to staff and families will follow the meeting.
The division said the outage did not jeopardize campus safety and highlighted that backups and contingency plans helped them restore network services faster than some other school divisions that have suffered similar incidents. Dr. Keever described the event as an opportunity to improve WJCC's cybersecurity posture.
Ending: WJCC leaders urged patience while they complete the investigation and roll out communications and the identity-protection services. The superintendent invited questions and said staff would provide further information to the board and to families in coming days.
