Ransomware Attack Disrupts Community High School District 117
Incident Date:
July 30, 2024
Overview
Title
Ransomware Attack Disrupts Community High School District 117
Victim
Community High School District 117
Attacker
Black Suit
Location
First Reported
July 30, 2024
Ransomware Attack on Community High School District 117 by BlackSuit Group
Community High School District 117 (CHSD 117), an educational institution located in Lake Villa, Illinois, has recently fallen victim to a ransomware attack orchestrated by the BlackSuit group. The attack was discovered on July 31, 2024, and has raised significant concerns about the security of sensitive information within the district.
About Community High School District 117
CHSD 117 serves the communities of Antioch, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, and Old Mill Creek. The district operates two main high schools: Antioch Community High School and Lakes Community High School. With an enrollment of approximately 2,752 students and a student-teacher ratio of 19:1, the district is dedicated to providing a comprehensive and positive educational experience. The district boasts a graduation rate of 96.3% and a college readiness rate of 96%, highlighting its effectiveness in preparing students for post-secondary success.
Attack Overview
The ransomware attack has impacted the district's website, chsd117.org, potentially disrupting educational services and compromising the personal data of students and staff. While the exact size of the data leak remains unknown, the incident underscores the vulnerabilities educational institutions face in the digital age. The full extent of the damage and the specific demands of the threat actors are yet to be disclosed.
About BlackSuit Ransomware Group
BlackSuit is a new ransomware family that emerged in 2023 and is closely related to the notorious Royal ransomware group. The ransomware targets both Windows and Linux systems, including VMware ESXi servers. It appends the .blacksuit extension to encrypted files and drops a ransom note named README.BlackSuit.txt in each affected directory. The ransom note includes a reference to a Tor chat site where victims can contact the operators.
Researchers have found significant similarities between BlackSuit and Royal ransomware, suggesting that BlackSuit could be a new variant developed by the same authors, a copycat using similar code, or an affiliate of the Royal ransomware gang. The emergence of BlackSuit indicates that the threat actors behind Royal may have inspired other cybercriminals to develop similar ransomware families.
Potential Vulnerabilities
Educational institutions like CHSD 117 are often targeted by ransomware groups due to their extensive databases of sensitive information and the critical nature of their services. The district's reliance on digital infrastructure for educational services and administrative functions makes it a prime target for cybercriminals. The attack on CHSD 117 highlights the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect against such threats.
Recent Ransomware Attacks
The Recent Ransomware Attacks (RRA) site acts as a watchtower, providing you with near real-time ransomware tracking of attacks, groups and their victims. Given threat actors’ overarching, lucrative success so far, ransomware attacks have become the most ubiquitous, and financially and informationally impactful cyber threat to businesses and organizations today.
The site’s data is generated based on hosting choices of real-world threat actors, and a handful of other trackers. While sanitization efforts have been taken, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of the data. Attack updates will be made as source data is reported by reputable sources. By viewing, accessing, or using RRA you acknowledge you are doing so at your own risk.