Alabama State Department of Education Details

    Organization Logo

    Alabama State Department of Education

    Montgomery, Alabama • 600 employees • Education

    https://www.alabamaachieves.org/
    United States

    Industry

    Education

    Security Incidents

    1

    The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) is a governmental agency in charge of overseeing public education for K-12 schools in the state of Alabama. The department's primary purpose is to implement educational policies, standards, and guidelines that enhance the quality of education, support school districts, and ensure that all students have access to quality education. ALSDE formulates and enforces state educational laws, administers state and federal funds for education, and provides resources and professional development for teachers.

    The history of ALSDE traces back to 1854 when...
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    Security Incidents

    Alabama State Department of Education Breach of Jun 2024
    Severity Score
    Significant to High

    Type

    Ransomware Attack

    Summary

    On June 17, the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) experienced a cyber attack that was successfully interrupted by their Information System (IS) staff before hackers could encrypt the servers and fully lock down the department’s computer system. Some data were breached, and services were disrupted before the attack was stopped. The exact nature of the compromised information is still under investigation, but there is a possibility that some personally identifiable information of students and employees may have been accessed, though bank account and direct deposit information were no...
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    Severity

    The cyberattack on the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) on June 17 was a significant incident that demonstrated both quick intervention and notable risks. While the IS staff successfully intercepted the attack before the hackers could lock down the entire system or encrypt data, the intrusion did result in some data being breached and service disruptions. The exact nature of the compromised data remains under investigation, though there is a concern that potential personally identifiable information of students and employees might have been accessed. Given the hackers' intention t...
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    Impact

    The incident at the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) was a thwarted ransomware attack aimed at encrypting data and demanding a ransom. Although the IS team successfully prevented the hackers from locking down their systems, some data was breached before the attack was stopped. The compromised data potentially includes personally identifiable information of students and employees, though specific details are still under investigation. Fortunately, the attack did not result in a prolonged service disruption, system downtime, or the leakage of any intellectual property or source code...
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