Swansea Schools Reopen, Superintendent Shares Ransomware Attack Update

SWANSEA, MA — No personal student or staff information was compromised and classes will resume Thursday after a Tuesday ransomware attack on Swansea Public Schools, Superintendent John J. Robidoux said Wednesday.

Schools were closed Wednesday after Swansea Public Schools' network experienced a ransomware attack Tuesday. Within minutes of the attack, the schools' cybersecurity company and IT department was able to isolate the attack and shut down the system, the superintendent said in a school district news release.

All viruses, worms, and ransomware were removed and additional security measures were added to the network to prevent future attacks, the superintendent said.

No personal student or staff information was compromised and no cloud-based files or information was affected by the attack, according to the release.

"It is believed that this attack occurred due to an encrypted download that was run by someone within the district, but is not believed to be malicious," Robidoux wrote in the release. "I am thankful that our district has security measures attached to our network that prevented a much larger issue from occurring."

School will resume Thursday for all students at their regular times, the superintendent said.

Ransomware is a form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption.

Swansea Public Schools include Mark G. Hoyle Elementary, Gardner Elementary, Joseph G. Luther Elementary, Elizabeth S. Brown Elementary, Joseph Case Junior High School, and Joseph Case High School.