HANOVER COUNTY, Va. — Hanover County Public Schools has been without internet service and multiple systems for more than 24 hours following what the division is calling a "data incident."
The division has remained tight-lipped about the cause and type of issue it is facing, saying only in a statement to families that it is "working with cybersecurity professionals and others to investigate and mitigate a possible data incident impacting HCPS."
The outage comes at a time when city governments, businesses and schools are facing cyber attacks from Iran.
Alex Nette, CEO of HIVE Security Systems, said the cause of the incident is difficult to determine without more information from the division.
"It could have just been a random drive-by, it could have been a targeted attack. Of course, there is heightened awareness right now as a nation with ongoing politics. As a result, that could also be a part of it, but ultimately with them not saying anything, it's hard to make an assumption," Nette said.
Based on previous cyber attacks that have impacted school systems, Nette said simple vulnerabilities like phishing scams or unsecured technology are usually to blame.
"To be frank, it's probably something really embarrassing. Something they didn't consider, something they didn't secure," Nette said.
Nette said the type of data typically at risk in similar incidents is wide-ranging.
"Name, addresses, grades accountability, credit cards for after school activities, permission forms all kinds of things are likely held within that school system, or depending on how widespread it multiple part of the school system," Nette said.
As parents wait for the school division to give answers, Nette said there are steps families can take now to protect themselves, such as freezing credit through the three main credit bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax and Experian.
"You can go to all three of their websites and register yourself; you put in your information and ask for a credit freeze. This is great because it stops hackers and scammers from using your information to open up a credit card. As a result, whenever you actually need to legitimately apply for a credit or a credit card you can temporarily let that account come through let that application process and the it can refreeze," Nette said.
Nette said now is also the time for other school divisions to pay close attention to how this possible data breach unfolds.
"If you are another school district that's using similar technology, go evaluate what's going on right now. Maybe bring in a cybersecurity firm to go evaluate it or as more news comes to light about how the Hanover issue happened, make sure that you're taking advantage of that. Read what happened, understand what happened and make sure you're not vulnerable as well," Nette said.
Hanover County Public Schools said it will update the public with more information as soon as it is able. We will pass along that update as soon as we receive it.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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