Is your child's birth date on dark web? Hackers launch ransomware attacks; identity theft possible

Hackers have put children’s birth dates and much more on the dark web following ransomware attacks on schools. They even target credit card and car loans through identity theft.

Belatedly, the U.S. government seems to be taking notice. Last month, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that attempted to ease information-sharing, secure government supply chains, and bolster defenses in the executive branch. Last Thursday, the Justice Department announced a new effort to prioritize ransomware prosecutions.

With more and more people getting online for work and school, thanks to the pandemic, ransomware has been a hot topic since last year. Ransomware has impacted critical infrastructure, hospitals, computer manufacturers, and other over the last year, however, the most horrifying has been the recent attacks on schools. A report from NBC News outlined the effects hackers can have and detailed how data leaks from attacks on schools out children's most sensitive information online, easily available for anyone who is willing to pay for it.

According to the NBC report, one school district had an Excel sheet called “Basic student information” that got posted on the dark web after they refused to pay a ransom, as instructed by the FBI. “It lists students by name and includes entries for their date of birth, race, Social Security number and gender, as well as whether they're an immigrant, homeless, marked as economically disadvantaged, and if they've been flagged as potentially dyslexic,” states the NBC report.

The school was aware of the attacks and informed parents about it, which made things slightly better. And insurance covered identity theft protection for the staff, but it is not clear if these benefits extended to students despite having lawyers involved. As per the report, other schools asked about leaks said they were “unaware of the problem”.

While it is hard to comprehend how a student's social life would be affected if their “grades, medical info, or free or reduced-price lunch benefit status” leaked online, it is easier to understand the impact of having social security numbers (SSN), birthdays, names, etc, being sold to “unscrupulous people”. The NBC report has a story of a student whose information was used in an attempt to get a credit card and a car loan.

The report cites Eva Velasquez from the Identity Theft Resource Center, who is asking parents to freeze their children's credit to keep them safe from identity theft. As The Verge rightly points out, parents have enough problems and concerns already and now data security and privacy is evidently a new concern area.

“It is a solemn responsibility that schools have to care for kids, so they collect a lot of data with that,” an expert at a non-profit for protecting school's IT systems told NBC.

Many schools (the report states that 1,200 schools' info had been published by ransomware attackers this year) are struggling with the task of keeping data safe and it's easier said than done since most schools work with budgets that “don't allow for the level of corporate security attackers are bypassing daily”.