Little Rock School District to pay $250000 ransom to computer hackers – Arkansas Times
I expect a more detailed report from Jim Ross, who covers the Little Rock School Board for the Times, but he provided some thoughts on yesterday’s 6-3 decision to approve a $250,000 ransom, plus undisclosed “fees,” for blackmailing computer hackers who breached the district’s computer system.
The meeting included disclosure, as we’d mentioned yesterday, of an illegal secret board meeting to pave the way to payment of the extortion demand, which three members (Hatter, Mason and Noland) opposed. I don’t understand Superintendent Jermall Wright’s argument that secrecy was necessary to deter further incursions into the district’s data. The hackers were already inside and holding information hostage to demand money.
Ross, a former school board member, offered some thought thoughts on events in this Twitter thread about what he saw as a failure of the democratic process in dealing with the issue, though he generally supported the district’s approach to the dilemma:
Tonight’s Little Rock School Board meeting was held because the Little Rock District’s efinance and student records system was attacked by ransomware from a foreign country. The terrorists that did this have made a ransom request.
— Jim Ross (@rossjam) December 6, 2022
Many questions remain.
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