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On Monday, Oct. 29, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer visited the Central New York Regional Information Center (CNYRIC) to discuss the cyber-attacks faced by the organization in 2018.
Schumer acknowledged the nine recorded cyber-attacks that have taken place since April of this year, some of which caused problems during statewide testing and the back-to-school rush. He expressed concern that the repeated attacks are not only impeding student learning, but could potentially have other consequences as well.
“Central New York school districts have fallen victim to too many cyber-attacks in recent months, potentially putting valuable information at risk,” said Schumer.
While no student information has been compromised, the attacks have nonetheless placed a burden on the numerous districts which the CNYRIC serves. Updates to CNYRIC’s infrastructure, including the construction of a redundant internet connection and cloud-based solutions, are ongoing to help mitigate future attacks. However, the threat of malicious users attacking bandwidth and impeding (or halting) internet services remains constant.
During his visit, Schumer appealed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to investigate the source of these cyber-attacks, stating: “I’m calling on the DHS to launch an investigation into these cyber-threats immediately and work as quickly as possible to get to the bottom of this matter.” It was the senator’s hope that a DHS investigation might help identify the culprit(s) in these attacks.
