Hacking attacks against the public school system in New Haven, Connecticut, in June caused losses of over $6 million. City officials announced Thursday that $3.6 million has been recovered.
The hackers impersonated New Haven Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Thomas Lamb as well as private vendors after gaining access to his email address. By impersonating both sides, the hackers requested payments to fraudulent accounts.
Six payments were made, four intended for the First Student busing service worth $5.9 million, and two more were intended for the Shipman & Goodwin law firm for $76,000, according to WTIC-TV, the Hartford Fox affiliate.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said the FBI is investigating the thefts. All electronic payments by the city other than payroll to its employees have ended.
The mayor does not believe city employees were in on the scheme. He condemned the hackers as immoral.
“They are unbelievably unethical to not only steal money from the public but steal money from New Haven Public School children. It is just shocking to me how much greed there is in this world today. And that someone would so deliberately do such a thing is just tragic,” Mr. Elicker said at a news conference.
Unique perspective: The recent hacking attack on the public school system in New Haven, Connecticut, highlights the vulnerability of organizations to cyber threats. The incident not only resulted in significant financial losses but also exposed the personal information of individuals involved. This serves as a reminder for institutions to enhance their cybersecurity measures and be proactive in safeguarding sensitive data from malicious actors.
