Richmond Schools Work With FBI to Restore Systems After Cyberattack

Richmond Public Schools says the FBI and Virginia State Police are working with the district as it restores its systems after a cybersecurity incident that began Oct. 21, WTVR reported on Oct. 31. VPM News, citing an Oct. 23 memo from Superintendent Jason Kamras, said the investigation includes the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Division and the Virginia Fusion Center.

After leaders in the district noticed suspicious activity on the network that morning, Kamras confirmed a cybersecurity incident and the district took internet access offline as a precaution, limiting phones, email and online classroom tools, WTVR reported. Schools stayed open without that technology. The district has since built a temporary network and handed out Chromebooks, and says critical safety systems remain operational and secure.

The district has not said if personal information was compromised or if a ransom was demanded, WTVR reported. Kamras’s memo said there was no evidence that employee data had been misused or published on the dark web, but warned that personal information may have been exposed, VPM reported; the district is offering free credit monitoring. It says it cannot comment on the ongoing investigations. The president of the Richmond Education Association told WTVR that staff are worried about attendance, grading and safety without their systems, and union leaders want paper-based backup plans.