
"Complete technology failure" prompts Jesuit High classes to be canceled Monday
ARDEN ARCADE - A Sacramento-area school says a complete technology failure has prompted them to cancel classes on Monday.
In a message sent to families on Sunday, Jesuit High School officials revealed that the tech problems have taken out email, internet, PowerSchool, and classroom tools on campus.
The problems stemmed from unexpected network maintenance that the school undertook during the Easter break, Jesuit High officials stated.
School officials noted that they're working to get the systems back online, but the campus -including offices - will be closed on Monday at the very least.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Marks & Spencer reopens website after major cyber attack
Marks & Spencer has reopened its website to customers after it was forced to halt internet orders in April following a damaging cyber attack. The retail giant said shoppers are now able to buy a selection of its best-selling fashion ranges and new products for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales. In a statement published on social media, M&S managing director of clothing, home and beauty John Lyttle said: 'More of our fashion, home and beauty products will be added every day, and we will resume deliveries to Northern Ireland and Click and Collect in the coming weeks.' It followed a major cyber attack in April that saw the group face heavy disruption. M&S halted orders on its website over the Easter weekend, and was also left with some empty shelves after being targeted by hackers. Customer personal data – which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth – was also taken by hackers in the attack.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Too scared to shop? Why retail is a prime target for criminals
Harrods, Co-op, Marks & Spencer (M&S) and now Adidas have all experienced damaging cyber attacks in recent weeks, which have sent shock waves through the retail industry. M&S alone has warned of a £300 million ($405 million) hit on profits. The attack, which began over the Easter weekend, also wiped more than £750 million ($1 billion) off its market capitalization. On 30th April, the Co-op also fell victim, reporting a few days later that hackers had accessed a 'significant' amount of customer data. Then on 2nd May, Harrods also experienced a cyber attack, although in this instance, they managed to prevent any malicious intrusion. 101 Co-op Group rank on the Fortune 500 Europe In the M&S incident, third-party service provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has reportedly launched an internal investigation to determine whether it was the gateway by which the hackers gained access. It all points to a vulnerability amongst retail businesses, despite the fact that the threat from cyber attacks has existed for many years. But why are retail businesses being targeted? 252 Marks & Spencer rank on the Fortune 500 Europe 'Retailers are prime targets for cybercriminals due to the vast amounts of personal, financial, and other sensitive data they manage. For malicious actors, access to this data is like gold dust: highly valuable and potentially extremely lucrative' Marc Rivero, Lead Security Researcher in the Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky, told Fortune. On 27th May, Adidas became the latest victim of a cyber attack when it reported that, similar to M&S, hackers had accessed customer data through a third-party service provider. In the case of M&S, according to Vaibhav Chechani, a Mumbai-based analyst at brokerage Nirmal Bang, if the attack did originate from the Indian company, 'it will definitely impact their brand image'. TCS also works as a 'strategic partner' to Co-op. 'Retailers are prime targets for cybercriminals due to the vast amounts of personal, financial, and other sensitive data they manage…' Marc Rivero, Lead Security Researcher in the Global Research & Analysis Team, Kaspersky Rivero commented, 'As seen in the M&S attack, social engineering allows attackers to bypass sophisticated cybersecurity measures by exploiting human error. These 'human hacking' tactics manipulate users into clicking malicious links, disclosing sensitive information, or granting access to restricted systems'. 'Simply put, data opens doors. It enables fraud, fuels targeted phishing campaigns, and can even be leveraged to infiltrate other businesses within the supply chain. This makes retailers not just lucrative targets, but also strategically valuable within the broader digital ecosystem'. M&S CEO Stuart Machin confirmed this, blaming the attack on 'human error' rather than a weakness in its cybersecurity measures and added that, 'it is a moment in time, and we are now focused on recovery, with the aim of exiting this period a much stronger business. There is no change to our strategy and our longer-term plans to reshape M&S for growth, and if anything, the incident allows us to accelerate the pace of change as we draw a line and move on'. Despite this optimistic outlook, Retail Technology Magazine publisher and retail expert, Miya Knights, believes that other retailers could also be targeted, believing that those most vulnerable would be 'those that have a sizable business with large tier one scale turnover across many channels'. Speaking to Fortune, she added, 'Cybersecurity has been a basic requirement for as long as retailers have deployed IT and transacted online. But, just as e-commerce has become a major growth driver, safeguarding the digital systems they now rely on must become as core to their business as it is for financial services companies.' This should be the wake-up call that the retail industry needed in order to treat these threats in the same way as financial services institutions. Actions to combat the threat appear to be happening within the industry, with one prominent retail CTO saying that he is collaborating with several other retailers, including some direct competitors, to mitigate the risk of future cyber attacks. M&S CEO Stuart Machin [blamed] the attack on 'human error' rather than a weakness in its cybersecurity measures… According to Rivero, the retail sector is under mounting pressure from cyber groups persistently probing for vulnerabilities to access large volumes of data. He said that, 'Retailers must regularly reassess their cybersecurity strategies and continue to invest in robust defense mechanisms'. 'Retailers must adopt a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity, acknowledging that no single measure can provide complete protection. This approach should begin with staff education. Training employees to recognize phishing attempts and suspicious behavior is critical, with human error remaining one of the most common entry points for attackers', he continued. However, it's not all the responsibility of retailers, Rivero believes that to feel more secure, consumers should take a proactive approach to their digital safety. Regularly update passwords, enable multi-factor authentication where possible, remain cautious of suspicious messages or emails, and monitor financial activity closely, 'reporting any unusual behavior immediately', adding that, 'a cautious, informed approach remains the best line of defense'. His advice to retailers using third-party service providers: 'Adopt a proactive approach: regularly conducting thorough risk assessments of all vendors, enforcing strict access controls, and requiring regular security audits. Ongoing employee training is also essential – not just for non-IT staff, but also for IT teams, who are frequently targeted by social engineering tactics'. And as he puts it, 'In a landscape where cybercriminals exploit every weak link, resilience must extend beyond the organization itself to encompass the entire supply chain and all vendors'. This story was originally featured on

Miami Herald
04-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Trump cuts could expose student data to cyber threats
When hackers hit a school district, they can expose Social Security numbers, home addresses, and even disability and disciplinary records. Now, cybersecurity advocates warn that the Trump administration's budget and personnel cuts, along with rule changes, are stripping away key defenses that schools need. "Cyberattacks on schools are escalating and just when we need federal support the most, it's being pulled away," said Keith Krueger, chief executive officer of the Consortium for School Networking, an association of technology officials in K-12 schools. Related: Our free weekly newsletter alerts you to what research says about schools and classrooms. The stakes are high. Schools are a top target in ransomware attacks, and cyber criminals have sometimes succeeded in shutting down whole school districts. The largest such incident occurred in December, when hackers stole personal student and teacher data from PowerSchool, a company that runs student information systems and stores report cards. The theft included data from more than 60 million students and almost 10 million teachers. PowerSchool paid an undisclosed ransom, but the criminals didn't stop. Now, in a second round of extortion, the same cyber criminals are demanding ransoms from school districts. The federal government has been stepping up efforts to help schools, particularly since a 2022 cyberattack on the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest. Now this urgently needed assistance is under threat. Warning service Of chief concern is a cybersecurity service known as MS-ISAC, which stands for Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. It warns more than 5,700 schools around the country that have signed up for the service about malware and other threats and recommends security patches. This technical service is free to schools, but is funded by an annual congressional appropriation of $27 million through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an agency within the Department of Homeland Security. On March 6, the Trump administration announced a $10 million funding cut as part of broader budget and staffing cuts throughout CISA. That was ultimately negotiated down to $8.3 million, but the service still lost more than half of its remaining $15.7 budget for the year. The non-profit organization that runs it, the Center for Internet Services, is digging into its reserves to keep it operating. But those funds are expected to run out in the coming weeks, and it is unclear how the service will continue operating without charging user fees to schools. "Many districts don't have the budget or resources to do this themselves, so not having access to the no cost services we offer is a big issue," said Kelly Lynch Wyland, a spokeswoman for the Center for Internet Services. Sharing threat information Another concern is the effective disbanding of the Government Coordinating Council, which helps schools address ransomware attacks and other threats through policy advice, including how to respond to ransom requests, whom to inform when an attack happens and good practices for preventing attacks. This coordinating council was formed only a year ago by the Department of Education and CISA. It brings together 13 nonprofit school organizations representing superintendents, state education leaders, technology officers and others. The council met frequently after the PowerSchool data breach to share information. Now, amid the second round of extortions, school leaders have not been able to meet because of a change in rules governing open meetings. The group was originally exempt from meeting publicly because it was discussing critical infrastructure threats. But the Department of Homeland Security, under the Trump administration, reinstated open meeting rules for certain advisory committees, including this one. That makes it difficult to speak frankly about efforts to thwart criminal activity. Non-governmental organizations are working to resurrect the council, but it would be in a diminished form without government participation. "The FBI really comes in when there's been an incident to find out who did it, and they have advice on whether you should pay or not pay your ransom," said Krueger of the school network consortium. A federal role A third concern is the elimination in March of the education Department's Office of Educational Technology. This seven-person office dealt with education technology policies - including cybersecurity. It issued cybersecurity guidance to schools and held webinars and meetings to explain how schools could improve and shore up their defenses. It also ran a biweekly meeting to talk about K-12 cybersecurity across the Education Department, including offices that serve students with disabilities and English learners. Eliminating this office has hampered efforts to decide which security controls, such as encryption or multi-factor authentication, should be in educational software and student information systems. Many educators worry that without this federal coordination, student privacy is at risk. "My biggest concern is all the data that's up in the cloud," said Steve Smith, the founder of the Student Data Privacy Consortium and the former chief information officer for Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts. "Probably 80 to 90 percent of student data isn't on school-district controlled services. It's being shared with ed tech providers and hosted on their information systems." Security controls "How do we ensure that those third-party providers are providing adequate security against breaches and cyber attacks?" said Smith. "The office of ed tech was trying to bring people together to move toward an agreed upon national standard. They weren't going to mandate a data standard, but there were efforts to bring people together and start having conversations about the expected minimum controls." That federal effort ended, Smith said, with the new administration. But his consortium is still working on it. In an era when policymakers are seeking to decrease the federal government's involvement in education, arguing for a centralized, federal role may not be popular. But there's long been a federal role for student data privacy, including making sure that school employees don't mishandle and accidentally expose students' personal information. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, commonly known as FERPA, protects student data. The Education Department continues to provide technical assistance to schools to comply with this law. Advocates for school cybersecurity say that the same assistance is needed to help schools prevent and defend against cyber crimes. "We don't expect every town to stand up their own army to protect themselves against China or Russia," said Michael Klein, senior director for preparedness and response at the Institute for Security and Technology, a nonpartisan think tank. Klein was a senior advisor for cybersecurity in the Education Department during the previous administration. "In the same way, I don't think we should expect every school district to stand up their own cyber-defense army to protect themselves against ransomware attacks from major criminal groups." And it's not financially practical. According to the school network consortium only a third of school districts have a full-time employee or the equivalent dedicated to cybersecurity. Budget storms ahead Some federal programs to help schools with cybersecurity are still running. The Federal Communications Commission launched a $200 million pilot program to support cybersecurity efforts by schools and libraries. FEMA funds cybersecurity for state and local governments, which includes public schools. Through these funds, schools can obtain phishing training and malware detection. But with budget battles ahead, many educators fear these programs could also be cut. Perhaps the biggest risk is the end to the entire E-Rate program that helps schools pay for the internet access. The Supreme Court is slated to decide this term on whether the funding structure is an unconstitutional tax. "If that money goes away, they're going to have to pull money from somewhere," said Smith of the Student Data Privacy Consortium. "They're going to try to preserve teaching and learning, as they should. Cybersecurity budgets are things that are probably more likely to get cut. "It's taken a long time to get to the point where we see privacy and cybersecurity as critical pieces,' Smith said. 'I would hate for us to go back a few years and not be giving them the attention they should." Contact staff writer Jill Barshay at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or barshay@ This story about student cybersecurity was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Proof Points and other Hechinger newsletters. The post Trump cuts could expose student data to cyber threats appeared first on The Hechinger Report.