Louisiana School Boards taking precautions after cyberattack

Cameron Parish, LA (KPLC) - Governer John Bel Edwards declared a statewide cyber security emergency after a malware attack on three public school districts in North Louisiana.

The attacks impacted Morehouse, Ouachita, and Sabine Parish. Bruce Brown, President of Computer 1 runs IT for Cameron Parish Schools and explained the attack.

“An email was sent to a user that contains some type of attachment," Brown said. "That included malware on it so when they clicked on it the malware infected their system initially and then it ruined some protocols in the background to kind of elevate it’s status.”

In response to the attacks Homeland Security and The Department of Education encouraged school boards to take extra security measures, though they can’t disclose details.

“The state has issued a five or six phase process that we have to complete," Cameron Parish Schools Superintendent, Charley Lemons said. "So that we know in the end we are secure.”

Lemons says they are adhering to these measures along with other school boards in the area.

Calcasieu Parish released this statement:

“Safety will always be a priority at the Calcasieu Parish School Board, and that includes cyber safety. While CPSB’s Technology Department already does an outstanding job securing our network and overall online presence, we certainly take every opportunity to bolster security measures. Following the statewide cybersecurity emergency declaration by Governor Edwards, CPSB took additional security measures to ensure compliance with the Louisiana Department of Education as well as to ensure our network and online presence is as secure as possible.”

Jeff Davis Parish released this statement:

”Jefferson Davis Parish school system technology department has not been affected by recent cyberattacks perpetrated on Louisiana school districts however we are aggressively engaged in protocols designed to protect our network. These protocols are developed in conjunction with GOHSEP and the Louisiana department of education and we are explicitly adhering to their guidance. Last month the JDP school board adopted an insurance policy to cover our liability in case of such emergency so we feel good about our position at this time“

Cameron Parish’s IT company encourages the public not to worry.

“We feel that we’re secure," Lemons said. "We’re going to take extra measures and extra precautions to ensure that we’re secure.”

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