Ransomware attack shuts Illinois high school until Wednesday
Ransomware attack shuts Illinois high school until Wednesday
Publish Date: 2026-06-08 11:46:00
Source Domain: www.theregister.com
Cyber-crime
Meanwhile, 13 schools in Wales affected by separate attack
An Illinois high school won’t reopen until Wednesday at the earliest after suffering a ransomware attack on Sunday, June 7.
Evanston Township High School (ETHS), located 14 miles north of Chicago, said it would be closed today and tomorrow, and that the closure also affected summer school, sports camps, and on-campus activities, which are all canceled.
“Upon discovering the incident, we immediately activated our incident response procedures and engaged external cyber breach attorneys and cybersecurity forensic experts to assist with the investigation and recovery process,” ETHS said in a statement issued via a dedicated information page.
“We are working with these specialists to determine precisely what information may have been accessed or acquired and to restore normal systems operations as quickly as possible. The district is cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of the ongoing investigation.”
It said that phone systems are down and staff have limited access to emails. Children and their families may also not be able to access certain online resources, all of which suggests the institution may still be in the containment phase of remediation.
Among the online resources currently offline is Home Access Center, which is powered by PowerSchool. PowerSchool itself was was at the center of a cybersecurity disaster in late 2024. However, ETHS has not linked the platform to the ransomware attack.
All staff other than safety and operations workers were told to work from home, although their work will be limited since, for the time being, they’re locked out of the district’s Google accounts and “other network systems, including eSchool.”
“We understand this situation is disruptive and appreciate your patience and flexibility,” ETHS went on to say. “Additional updates and instructions will be…
