SCRANTON, Pa. — A ransomware attack disrupted computer systems and other services at Scranton School District, according to a statement released by the district's acting superintendent, Patrick Laffey.
Scranton Federation of Teachers President Rosemary Boland said classes were back in session for a full day on Friday following a two-hour delay on Thursday.
Just without the luxury of technology.
"Whether it's a crisis or not, the teachers in Scranton can do their job. Everybody who works in our district is hopeful that a solution is forthcoming," said Boland.
"Sadly, I know the feeling, and once you experience it, it's not a feeling that you soon forget," added Keith Gunuskey, Superintendent at Wallenpaupack Area School District.
Back in 2019, Wallenpaupack Area School District experienced a similar ransomware attack. Superintendent Keith Gunuskey said days turned into weeks and then months before things were back to normal.
"Our specific situation did not necessarily involve a data breach of any kind, but it just decreased our ability to use our systems for internal communications. A lot of our network functions and things like that pretty much came to a halt," said Gunuskey.
On Friday, Wallenpaupack's District has measures in place to combat cyber and ransomware attacks. A threat Gunuskey says is always present.
"Keeping your password safe, not sharing your passwords, changing your passwords regularly, all those things, all those sound monotonous are critical and just keeping that overall structure secure," added Gunuskey.
The district is working with third-party forensic specialists to investigate the incident. At the moment, there is no timeline for when the issue will be resolved.