Were Westfield Public Schools Hit by Ransomware? Here's What We Know

“The education sector continues to be one of the most targeted sectors by cyber threat actors,” the New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell says.

WESTFIELD, NJ — A ransomware attack may be the cause of the Westfield Public Schools district-wide network outage, which began on the first day of school and continued for a third day on Thursday.

The outage has shut down internet and Wi-Fi in the schools, including clocks and access to instructional tools, as well as district and school phone lines and the student information system, which includes parent portals.

Ransomware.live , a threat intelligence platform that tracks ransomware groups and their victims worldwide, lists Westfield Public Schools as a victim of a ransomware-as-a-service operation called Incransom.

Westfield school officials and the Westfield Police Department have not confirmed or denied that the district was the victim of a ransomware or any other cyber attack.

“At this time, the cause of the disruption remains under investigation,” Superintendent Dr. Raymond Gonzalez said in an email to school staff and families on Thursday afternoon, which he shared with TAPinto Westfield.

“We are aware of claims and other information circulating online related to this matter. We understand why those reports raise questions. They are being reviewed as part of the investigative process, but we will not speculate the cause of the disruption while the investigation remains ongoing,” he wrote.

If the Westfield school district was targeted, it wasn’t alone.

“The education sector continues to be one of the most targeted sectors by cyber threat actors who take advantage of the distracted or unaware user base, potentially unpatched systems and applications, and vulnerable networks in order to collect sensitive data, deliver malware, pilfer monetary funds and launch ransomware attacks,” according to the New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell.

The NJCCIC, a component organization within the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness that works to make New Jersey more resilient to cyberattacks, discourages paying ransoms of any kind, and says that this perpetuates the crime and does not guarantee recovery of data.

Direct Line to Emergency Services

Although the phone lines are not working, the schools are still able to communicate directly with emergency services, Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro told TAPinto Westfield.

“The Westfield Police Department serves as the designated public safety dispatch point for all of Westfield’s emergency services — police, fire and EMS — and each Westfield school has the ability to communicate directly with the Westfield Police Department’s public safety dispatch center that is independent of telephones,” he explained.

“That method was developed and implemented specifically for situations such as this in which telephones do not function. It is both tested regularly and utilized routinely to report fire, evacuation and other emergency drills,” Battiloro said.

“I have no concern the school’s ability to report any emergency, or the safety of any student or staff member being present at or in any Westfield school during this telephone outage,” he added.

Contingency procedures for emergency communications remain in place at every school, Dr. Gonzalez wrote.

“Our technology team continues to work around the clock with external technology specialists to investigate the cause of the disruption and restore systems safely. Some systems remain intentionally offline while that work continues,” Dr. Gonzalez wrote on Thursday.

“Our teachers and staff have demonstrated tremendous flexibility in keeping teaching and learning moving forward,” Dr. Gonzalez wrote. “Educators are using print materials, discussion, writing, collaborative activities, previously prepared resources and other instructional approaches that do not rely on network connectivity. We have also asked staff to exercise appropriate flexibility with assignments, deadlines and other activities affected by the disruption.”

The teachers, administrators, support staff, students and families have adapted extraordinarily well under challenging circumstances, he wrote.

Internet and Wi-Fi connectivity, district and school phone service, and several systems that depend on network connectivity remain affected, he said.

“There may be limited or intermittent connectivity in some circumstances, but we will not consider systems fully restored until they are stable and ready for normal use,” Dr. Gonzalez wrote.

“We recognize the significant interest in this situation and the questions it has generated. We will continue to provide accurate information based on verified findings rather than speculation, additional updates as the investigation progresses and systems are restored, and encourage families and staff to rely on official district communications for the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding this disruption,” he wrote. “Thank you for your continued patience, flexibility and support of our schools.”

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